Modification and Dissolution

I was reading Plotinus Ennead 3.6.8 this morning. It mentioned a little bit about modification and dissolution. I'm not here to explain these technical terms of philosophy. I am here to say this caused me to ponder: how the environments around me seek to modify me or dissolve me into their milieu.

As children, we don't really choose our environments and how they effect us. We do what our parents put us into. For myself, even as a young woman, I didn't give hard thought to the effect of environments. Mainly I wanted to fit in and be cool and be as popular as possible (for a geek). I accepted the food and entertainment and sexuality of society.

I have a work environment. For the most part, I get along fine with it. It only bugs me when I'm supposed to eat with these people. My home environment is solitude, even though it is in the middle of town. Since leaving the monastery, now nearly 11 years ago, I haven't wanted to be assimilated or modified by society. I am in fact in disagreement with society and refuse to fall into it. So I abstain from much of American culture.

Like Daniel in the Old Testament, I refuse to eat the King's dainties. Dainties are more than food dainties like bacon and potato chips. Dainties for the mind are the corruptions found in entertainment. I just read that 1 in 7 American boys has been diagnosed with ADHD. In teenage years, 20% take some type of drug; for acting like boys pretty much. Wonder why?

There is an environment in my mind. I guard what I allow into my worldly perception. I don't want what is on the TV to clutter my mental environment. I desire to keep my mind pristine for spiritual study. Likewise, my physical body is made of only certain foods.

Part of all this inner discussion came about in the middle of my morning spiritual study; and today's run. I was trying to decide if I should go to an AA activity which began at 2 pm. But I felt strongly like the activity would be too covered over with aspects of American culture which I don't like to participate in. And I realized that, No, I won't be assimilated!

My Course in Miracles lesson for today is "In quiet I receive God's Word today." And in another book, I read something about sinking quietly into awareness itself, not just thinking about awareness.

Then I went running. Today, I decided to go to the park and do 5x1s for however long I wanted.  2 o'clock came and went and I was still running. So much for that decision about any social activity. I ended up with 21 miles. That is a post surgery high for mileage as well as time, 4h53min. The big deal however is that I didn't hate my shoes when I got done.

I run very near Galveston Bay; so there are many sea birds in the bayous. Today I saw a pretty blue-grey one I hadn't seen before. Didn't see the alligator that was there last week. It is cool, especially for the Gulf coast, only 70F. There were more ships today than usual. I wonder if that has to do with the delay in ship traffic caused by the oil spill last weekend.