THE DOMESTICATION OF HUMANS

By Gwen

“Children are domesticated the same way that we domesticate a dog, a cat, or any other animal.  In order to teach a dog we punish the dog and we give it rewards. We train our children whom we love so much the same way that we train any domesticated animal: with a system of punishment and reward. We are told, ‘You’re a good boy,’ or ‘You’re a good girl,’ when we do what Mom and Dad want us to do. When we don’t, we are a ‘bad girl’ or a ‘bad boy.’”

                                                                                                                                                              ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements

Ah, the domestication process.

Carlos Castaneda,  a great teacher who introduces us to the ancient Toltec wisdom (see Notes on The Wheel of Time), tells us that the purpose of the warrior (the ideal person in the Toltec tradition) is to transcend social conditioning as we discover our personal power and learn to live with clear intent and impeccability.

The Four Agreements are pretty much an awesome guide on how to do exactly that!

Brian Johnson

Philosophers Notes

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Nothing is more powerful than “watching” how the mind works of a small child.  My granddaughter, Hannah, is a perfect example.  Now that I have some understanding of how the conscious and subconscious mind works, how powerfully our childhood programming either helps or hinders our adult years… consciously or subconsciously!  (Trust me, I’ve spent many, many years working on the process of transcending my own social conditioning!)  Hannah is now 2 and a half and I’m so grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had to spend time with her, which in turn, gives me a much better understanding of the challenges my clients face and how deeply they are rooted. 

However, the good news is, grandma’s got some GREAT tools!

Gwen