THE RISE OF CONFLICT

(C) 2011 Howard McQueen

Every thought deemed disagreeable,

every thought deemed desirable

emanates from the inner, mental judge.

Installed very early in life,

the judge is conditioned to expect drama,

expects to have the courtroom schedule fully booked.

To sustain this virtual courtroom,

a host of other internal mental characters are empowered: detectives, witnesses - and an extensive lexicon of injustices is empowered. 

And this is just the beginning of this virtual reality.  

As we interact with others, we swap our judgment-based, 

injustice-laden experiences.  

Powerful archetypel pairs come alive: victim-perpetrator, heroine/villan, ... 

Society at large has ways of dealing with what officials would label "deep unrest".

Laws are crafted.

Sentences created.

Therapies made available.

Prisons constructed.

An entire penal system is funded and grows, year-by-year, by leaps and bounds.

Many injustices catch the wind of the media and are spread wide and far.

Political campaigns promise to make americans safe.

What began as a inner virtual courtroom "infection" in the mind has become so wide-spread and pervasive that it becomes an accepted norm, a mass hallucination.

And it all begins by installing the inner judge.

The judge exists and thrives on conflict.

The judge exists to mete out justice.

And we call this Justice?

~ ~ ~

The work of this inner judge virus is done when one of us begins to construe life and their experiences with life as the perpetrator and cast themselves in the role of victim.

This is the ultimate self-sabotage of our identity, when we turn the fire hose of

of blame, shame inwardly. 

You are a loving human being.  Suffering has the very real appearance of being everywhere (external).  That this appears as a reality or the predominate reality does not mean that you need to continue empowering your own version of the inner judge.  

Dismiss your own inner courtroom,

just for a minute,

an hour,

a day,

and then pause to witness your suffering begin to melt away.