By Way of Perception Thou Shalt Make Peace - part 1 of "Narcissism vs. Compassion"

What is the impact of the narcissistic world view versus the compassionate world view?

Transcript

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We can think of freedom as the unhindered expression of a soul's energy, an energy that emanates from inside and projects itself out into the world. But how we choose to guide that energy makes a huge difference, not only to ourselves, but to the world around us. This is key when we look at the narcissistic versus the compassionate views on freedom. Make no mistake, there is a dark side to freedom. And while a compassionate soul would never freely and knowingly choose to walk this dark path, we have to be able to see it for what it is. You cannot push back against that which is invisible to you. You cannot turn away from that which your eyes and ears and mind have not learned to recognize. And so we're getting out the flashlight, and we're going to take a good look at the monster lurking under freedom's bed. Ready or not, here we go. As I mentioned before, this is all about the compassionate versus the narcissistic view on freedom. In the compassionate view of freedom, we have a worldview that says, I act with awareness, knowing that my choices ripple through the lives of others. In the narcissistic view of freedom, we find a worldview that says, I do what I want. Consequences to others be damned. The narcissist operates as if the world exists solely for their own benefit, indifferent to the harm they cause. And just two small steps beyond the narcissist, we find the psychopath, a person who exploits, well, sneering at the vulnerability of others, literally gaining pleasure from the suffering and destruction they leave in their wake. This is so far outside of the light of sanity that it can be difficult for a compassionate soul to recognize such a creature should you encounter one. But I assure you, they do certainly exist. They make up a small yet persistent percentage of the population. When you combine the numbers of those with psychopathic, sociopathic, and narcissistic personality disorder as a group, the best estimates are somewhere between 2% and 5%, or 1 in 20 to 1 in 50 people. Their power comes from manipulation through coercion and deception. And remember that deception need not be an outright lie, but a warping of perception. They specialize in exploiting any weakness that they can find in the compassionate cognitive lens. But there is something we need to remember. The narcissist freedom is a mirage. The bars of their cage are made of the fear of their own reflected image. They live with the eternal subconscious fear of their own energy being reflected back upon them. That's what makes them aggressively manipulative. Domination by any means possible, overt or covert, whether it be physical, emotional, informational, intellectual, or spiritual. They are preoccupied with suppressing any voice who might disagree, independent of the factual value of the disagreeing argument. As the old expression goes, there is no honor amongst thieves. And so even if you are not one of them, they will treat you as though you are, simply because their worldview dictates it. Consider the difference between saying I have a right to privacy versus saying prove to me you aren't a criminal. Compassionate freedom, on the other hand, aligns with the natural laws that govern life. Do no harm, give more than you take, leave the earth better off than you found it. It is the freedom of the teacher who lights a flame in a student's mind, trusting that flame will continue to illuminate far beyond their lifetime. When we act from this place, we are not giving up our freedom, we are expanding it. Our liberation is bound up in the liberation of others. A world where everyone has enough is a world where we too can breathe easier. The compassionate do not see freedom as a zero-sum game, but more like a garden. And the more seeds we plant and nurture with wisdom and patience, the more abundant the harvest for all. And so the question, once again, isn't whether or not we are free, but how we are free. Ask yourself, does my energy uplift or diminish the world around me? The answer will shape not just your life, but the lives of everything and everyone you touch. But if you are neutral, living with the presumption that the powers around you will protect you from corruption, society decays. It rots. It falls to parasitic forces that feed on your life's energy. This is not a power that celebrates, nurtures, or encourages life, fairness, or respect. It is one that always takes more than it gives. It feeds off of fear, anger, ignorance, and censorship. Many hold the view that this is not just the battle of our time, but the ongoing battle of ages that we were born into. And the battleground of that war is your mind. It is only by way of perception that we can make peace in this world. So I say, by way of perception, thou shalt make peace. You've been listening to part seven of the Soul's Guide to True Freedom, a series from This Light Shines Podcast. This is the first part of chapter two. In this chapter, we're going to take a deep dive on the world of narcissistic, sociopathic, and psychopathic personality disorders. Chances are, if you don't know one such individual you have in the past, knowledge of how they operate is the first step to extracting yourself from their influence. Thank you for listening, and as always, God bless.