Have you ever met someone who altered the way that you think?
Met them on or off line? tell a story, if you have one, of how someone altered the way you think? Do you ever purposefully put yourself in a position to have the way you think altered? How do you do that?
Yes. I applied for an inspection job in an electronics factory. As I parked, I saw the workers on break. They did not segregate into groups, but instead, all got along like one big group of friends. They were a divers group. They had all types, all ages, all colors that humans can be, and there were even a few with brightly colored hair. Everyone was friendly. Once I worked with them, I was excepted. I found out that these people did not gossip, nor backbite, they did not name-call and went out of their way to show kindness. They drank tea often and did not drink alcohol, nor did they use drugs. They never cussed. It was like being in another dimension, or on another planet.
I drank Irish whisky from morning until bedtime. I could not speak a sentence without some form of the word “fuck” in it. I cussed constantly. I hated everyone and hated myself more. Nothing in my world was working out for me. I did not mix well with these nerdy do-gooders — these goody-goodies. These Baha’is.
One day, I decided to join them. I knew how to behave myself, so I decided to behave myself. At first, it took effort, but eventually it became easy. I stopped drinking alcohol. I stopped cussing. I stopped hating and started loving everyone and looking for the good in everyone. I surrounded myself in people who were just like these people.
Then, I met Immortal Pirate and took a 6 year separation from the Baha’i Faith. Now I am back with the Baha’is, but I hold myself at arms length from all that nicey-nicy goodie-goodieness. I don’t drink alcohol and don’t cuss much, but Immortal Pirate brought me back to reality.
Several people
My best friend who I’ve known since I was 5, a Jehovah Witness
My friend/ boss who I’ve known for approx 16 years
My friend who died – as of May 7th 2 years ago.
The people from the soul pancake, later soul sequel site
So many others
@Jear77 I’ve met a few here that change the way that I think about a few things, and there is this dude on another site who has changed my thinking, as well. Some people just have such insight and wisdom about life. I am fortunate to have found the people I have found across the globe!
Tony Hart His motto was burned in my brain “A good reason is a lousy excuse”
I think of that every time I am ready to give up and it pushes me towards accomplishment. I don’t succeed at everything, but I try, thanks to Mr. Hart
Another guy was a physics teach I had in grade 8. He called me out in front of the whole class for cheating on a true or false quiz. He had two classes same grade. the classes alternated every week, where one went at 9 and the other 11. They switched back and forth. The class in the middle was art and it was shared by both students from each of those physics classes. Because we got the same quiz and they were marked at the end of the test; the first class shared the answers with the subsequent class during art. We would copy the answers and take them with us into the second class. In a way, it was the teachers fault for being lazy but the reality was that I did in fact cheat. It affected me a lot because he was my favourite teacher and as he grilled me in front of everyone I felt a lot of shame as I lied about where I got the answers in an effort to not betray my cohorts. At the time it felt like a natural thing to do to try and beat “the Man” If you figured you could get away with cheating; you did. That incident set my moral compass more than any visit to church ever did. I will never feel that sense of disgust in my own choices because of that experience.
He had to know what was going on when the second class almost always got close to perfect scores. We thought we were being smart by getting a few wrong. I think he used me as a tool to tell everyone to stop it because he pulled no punches as he humiliated me in front of everyone.
I am grateful for that moment of what was relatively insignificant for the influence it had on the way I lived my life going forward from that moment.
Both of these examples, one positive and one negative had significant impacts on the way I live my life. They are as fresh today as they were so many years ago. I really think they made me better than what I would have been with out them.
@spitfire3dc that cheating example happened to me, too. I agree with your assessment in how we can be influenced in different ways. If I really trust someone, and they give me constructive criticism, I am highly influenced by that.
For me, I have to state what no one else can believe. Angels have helped me.
Angels can seamlessly incarnate, but they typically just temporarily “possess” people, where the person may or may not have conscious memory afterwards.
Nobody has names in these things.
If they had names, it would ruin the meaning.
They can be male or female, because, in reality they are well above both.
Though, thankfully, they usually deal with me from female form. (As women are more of nourishing caregiver.)
8 responses to “Have you ever met someone who altered the way that you think?”
Yes, 3 ladies:
Cherry Gay (real name, first woman to kiss me…light bulb went off and I thought…that’s what’s been missing)
Mary Jane
Magic Mushroom
@Gina neat! I like that name!
Yes. I applied for an inspection job in an electronics factory. As I parked, I saw the workers on break. They did not segregate into groups, but instead, all got along like one big group of friends. They were a divers group. They had all types, all ages, all colors that humans can be, and there were even a few with brightly colored hair. Everyone was friendly. Once I worked with them, I was excepted. I found out that these people did not gossip, nor backbite, they did not name-call and went out of their way to show kindness. They drank tea often and did not drink alcohol, nor did they use drugs. They never cussed. It was like being in another dimension, or on another planet.
I drank Irish whisky from morning until bedtime. I could not speak a sentence without some form of the word “fuck” in it. I cussed constantly. I hated everyone and hated myself more. Nothing in my world was working out for me. I did not mix well with these nerdy do-gooders — these goody-goodies. These Baha’is.
One day, I decided to join them. I knew how to behave myself, so I decided to behave myself. At first, it took effort, but eventually it became easy. I stopped drinking alcohol. I stopped cussing. I stopped hating and started loving everyone and looking for the good in everyone. I surrounded myself in people who were just like these people.
Then, I met Immortal Pirate and took a 6 year separation from the Baha’i Faith. Now I am back with the Baha’is, but I hold myself at arms length from all that nicey-nicy goodie-goodieness. I don’t drink alcohol and don’t cuss much, but Immortal Pirate brought me back to reality.
Several people
My best friend who I’ve known since I was 5, a Jehovah Witness
My friend/ boss who I’ve known for approx 16 years
My friend who died – as of May 7th 2 years ago.
The people from the soul pancake, later soul sequel site
So many others
@Jear77 I’ve met a few here that change the way that I think about a few things, and there is this dude on another site who has changed my thinking, as well. Some people just have such insight and wisdom about life. I am fortunate to have found the people I have found across the globe!
Tony Hart His motto was burned in my brain “A good reason is a lousy excuse”
I think of that every time I am ready to give up and it pushes me towards accomplishment. I don’t succeed at everything, but I try, thanks to Mr. Hart
Another guy was a physics teach I had in grade 8. He called me out in front of the whole class for cheating on a true or false quiz. He had two classes same grade. the classes alternated every week, where one went at 9 and the other 11. They switched back and forth. The class in the middle was art and it was shared by both students from each of those physics classes. Because we got the same quiz and they were marked at the end of the test; the first class shared the answers with the subsequent class during art. We would copy the answers and take them with us into the second class. In a way, it was the teachers fault for being lazy but the reality was that I did in fact cheat. It affected me a lot because he was my favourite teacher and as he grilled me in front of everyone I felt a lot of shame as I lied about where I got the answers in an effort to not betray my cohorts. At the time it felt like a natural thing to do to try and beat “the Man” If you figured you could get away with cheating; you did. That incident set my moral compass more than any visit to church ever did. I will never feel that sense of disgust in my own choices because of that experience.
He had to know what was going on when the second class almost always got close to perfect scores. We thought we were being smart by getting a few wrong. I think he used me as a tool to tell everyone to stop it because he pulled no punches as he humiliated me in front of everyone.
I am grateful for that moment of what was relatively insignificant for the influence it had on the way I lived my life going forward from that moment.
Both of these examples, one positive and one negative had significant impacts on the way I live my life. They are as fresh today as they were so many years ago. I really think they made me better than what I would have been with out them.
@spitfire3dc that cheating example happened to me, too. I agree with your assessment in how we can be influenced in different ways. If I really trust someone, and they give me constructive criticism, I am highly influenced by that.
For me, I have to state what no one else can believe. Angels have helped me.
Angels can seamlessly incarnate, but they typically just temporarily “possess” people, where the person may or may not have conscious memory afterwards.
Nobody has names in these things.
If they had names, it would ruin the meaning.
They can be male or female, because, in reality they are well above both.
Though, thankfully, they usually deal with me from female form. (As women are more of nourishing caregiver.)
(I am being totally serious on that one.)
“We come in peace”.