Let's define our terminology!

I've noticed there is often a lot of confusion regarding terminology. Especially when people are talking of words connected to their belief systems this can become a real problem in the discussion (I've witnessed or heard of a few instances in which this has caused heartaches on this site). So I thought I'd make a list of words that come to my mind as ones that I use a lot. Now I do not wish to cause any arguments over this, just ask that those interested look into their own belifes regarding their own personal terminology. No looking in the dictionary, this is just to see if people comprehend words in a similar way or not! As I wrote this I was trying not to put too much thought into this but get to whatever comes to mind first. In other words these are MY definitions and you are welcome to comment or add your own, however please let us not start an argumentative discourse over this!

1. SYMPATHY: Feeling resonance with someone, being on similar levels of frequency, liking the other person. Quite a neutral expression of attraction. The opposite of antipathy, which is a sense of feeling repelled.

2. RESONANCE A good word, as it indicates a neutral 'meeting' of wavelengths between people or a person and some thing or event. It has more to do with energy than actual feelings.

3. EMPATHY Apparently not much used in the USA, however much used in Europe as a synonym of compassion. It does indicate feeling, just as 'pathetic' or 'antipathy' does (same base). It seems noble to feel empathy, as it indicates an open heart and a willingness to put yourself in somebody else's shoes in order to understand them better. This is the key I think: willingness to share and understand.

4. COMPASSION Popular from Buddhism and the Bodhisattva ideal, which indicates a willingness to be incarnated many times for the sake of everybody who is suffering on Earth. Compassion is warm but at its best, it can be quite neutral. It is NOT PITY, because pity is simple arrogance, looking down on someone else's poor situation and blessing yourself that you are not in the same shit! The ideal is that you don't have to enter someone else's drama in order to 'feel for them'. Here you are showing your willingness to listen and be present, but you don't necessarily have to do anything much to help them unless the situation calls for action from your part. Usually it does, but here discernment comes in...

5. DISCERNMENT Through the use of intuition, discernment is best developed. It seems that we can't have it without going through experiences first, and so even lousy experiences can bring us the good thing, which is increasing discernment. We can argue about issues to and forth forever... and never get anywhere that really matters to the individual. But discernment tells YOU what is right and wrong in a certain situation, and it leads YOU to do what you need to do that is appropriate (right action at the right time)

6. INTUITION There seems to be several kinds (see the next section). With intuition I mean a higher insight, it's higher than something the mind can come up with through logical deduction, since it is able to comprehend the totality of a situation (this is important!) instead of the details separately which is the mind's way of dealing with information. It is related to the third eye.

7. INSTINCT I think this is what many would call gutfeeling. A very important function for the survival in the physical world, but at best it co-operates with intuition. Instinct is related to primary feelings, so it's connected to the first three chakras, especially the third one (the hara, center of power).

8. JOY Of course everyone knows what it is to feel joyful. At best we can detach a little from the drama of life and laugh at the absurdity of it all, in the way of a 'cosmic joke'. This perspective may generate a more constant form of joy. The more constant, the lighter our existence, and most likely (as a result of thoughts that were generate by recent discussions here) it comprises a feeling of care and compassion for all living beings if it is directly connected to the Source. However, it's easy to fool oneself and so if someone says they are joyful all the time, it may not be 'the real thing'. Research has shown that normal people with an overly optimistic view of life are not very good workers, they are not very diligent and careful. I guess in this case the optimism borders on simple naiveté.

9. DEPRESSION Now depression can be a serious clinical condition, maybe ultimately caused by a lack of alignment of energies within the energetic body as well as connection with the soul's purpose - I'm sure there are many reasons and I won't go into that here.. However, it can also have something to do with sincere questioning of one's situation and values. It can be a tunnel we sometimes must enter in order to perceive the opposite, the light. No light has real meaning unless we know what it means to be in the dark... why else would we live in a dualist world? But... depression can become an end in itself in which case there's a risk that it becomes a way of lingering in self-pity and passivity. This is perhaps often due to fear of opening up to positive things due to a past conditioning of constant disappointments. Getting over this phase can be a little tricky...

10. PESSIMISM I mentioned optimism already. Well, both can be extreme. If I have to choose I'd rather be an eternal optimist and a little gullible, because pessimism is a killer of all opportunities. One can be cautious and realistic, but does not necessarily have to be pessimistic as well. I guess a person can have a tendency to be pessimistic within a limited arena though. As indicated before, I'd be more afraid of pessimism than depression!

11. IDEALISM To me, this is also an extreme case of optimism, tinged with the flavor of a CAUSE. This stance can be very airy fairy and not grounded in reality, as the feelings for the cause can carry a person away into a sphere of unrealistic expectations and even a certain megalomania (delusions of grandeur). The word specifically indicates, that we are dealing with ideas and not facts. An idealistic person may also be overly optimistic, with a fake 'happy happy' stance based in the belief that no negative emotions must exist but should be repressed at all costs. I personally see myself as highly realistic and not very idealistic, but it doesn't mean that idealism is always a bad thing if handled with care, so as to speak :-).

12. MISSION So idealism is often connected to a sense of mission, maybe of being chosen by God or some other entity to change the way other people think, in other words convert them. I sometimes use the term nonetheless, as it can be a simple statement of purpose. The word 'mission' makes you think of missionaries, which is not a good image for everybody. In my language there is a word that indicates life purpose that I like better, it's one's 'life's work'. This would imply, that we are doing something we feel passionate about, not necessarily aware of what the outcome will be or feeling a need to control it. When I personally use any of these three terms (mission, life purpose, life's work) I indicate a sense of having something to give to the world and feeling a great need to. It's up to each and everyone to examine their own feelings regarding their life purpose, of course. It's not really for anyone else to determine, as we also learn certain lessons through these 'missions', whatever they may be...

13. BELIEF SYSTEM In my training, I remember having to determine the distinction between belief systems and world views. Well, don't remember what exactly the difference was supposed to be. The former tends to have a religious connotation, while the latter can be of a philosophical, non-religious nature and be more comprehensive too, for that matter. I've noticed that here at LW people talk of belief systems also in a way that implies the conditioned beliefs that we have grown up with or carry on from past lives. This in my opinion is quite ok so long as the distinction is clear. The latter can obviously be completely devoid of any specific religious connotations. However, New Age thought is a belief system, and it does have the status of a religion though it is quite different from former religious systems. I would say the greatest difference is that it's universalist. This means of course that it lends impressions from all religions, notably from the esoteric and mystical strands of the main religions. It is also centered around the individual's personal needs and truths, and so the universalism is strongly reflected in the fact that the creeds vary from person to person. Ultimately it strives to eliminate creeds and dogmas but that I don't quite see working yet.

14. ESOTERIC This denotes the inner journey towards enlightenment or some other form of union with God or All That Is. This is a term connected to mysticism. It is the opposite of EXOTERIC, which is the 'normal' expression of the world religions are. This implies a heavy emphasis on dogmas, ritualistic behavior and sacrifices.

15. HUBRIS The ultimate ego tripping, where arrogance, selfishness and delusions of grandeur all in one can crash a whole civilization...

Ok, well maybe that's enough of my own contemplation. I hope you'll find something to comment or add, feel welcome to! Let's communicate better! :-)))