Conditioning
by Paul Lowe • Australia

What is conditioning? This is a big subject. Conditioning is much easier to see in others than in ourselves. If you go to some parts of the world it will appear obvious. In some countries, women are not allowed out of the house. In other countries, they are allowed out with a chaperone, but only if their entire body is covered and their eyes veiled. What is "wrong" with showing their eyes? Good question, eh? At least it’s a good question in your part of the world.

Christians have beliefs, and in different sects of Christianity, different beliefs. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Sufi’s all have different beliefs. "Belief" is another word for conditioning. Notice that beliefs are often rooted in religion, and each religion is certain that it is not only right, but that it is the only one that is right. How can that be? How can everyone have a different point of view, and everyone be right?

It is essential to realize that whether you are religious or not, you are equally conditioned. It is a fact– you are more like a machine than a human being. The leading edge of science accepts this. We as "normal humans" have been conditioned not to accept it, but your views on life emerge from the part of your brain that has been conditioned from birth.

Not being allowed to show the eyes is obviously ridiculous– to our culture anyway. But what about your genitals? For certain "primitives," it is ridiculous to cover any part of your body. What is wrong (even criminal in most countries) with showing yourself as you were born? You have genitals, your parents have them, everyone has them. You see your own, and in the right societal situation, it’s "okay" to see another’s. In some cultures people are not even allowed to look at their own!

Where did this idea come from? It is conditioning. Most of it comes from religion– one of the most suppressive forces on the planet. From the moment you are born you are taught (conditioned) what is right/wrong, good/bad, allowed/not allowed, possible/not possible. Each country, each religion, and even individual sects of the same religion, have different rules.

When you are "educated," you form hard wiring in your brain. Literally. From then on, anything that does not match that wiring is "wrong." And, incidentally, you then assume that you are superior to those whose wiring is different and that they are more "primitive."

Conditioning is the main thing that reduces your feeling of freedom and happiness. Let’s take another example: sexual education. As you grow up, you are conditioned not to be free with your feelings. You are taught not to express how you feel about the opposite (or same) sex until you are ‘old enough.’ What is ‘wrong ’with this natural way of being?

It is important to question it for yourself and not automatically accept what you have been told or what I suggest. Look for yourself. Well, that’s the trouble– you can’t look for yourself if you are conditioned. You think you can, but everything you think goes through your conditioning, so you cannot see objectively. A Catholic will see it one way, a Jew another, a Muslim another, a Hippie another. And each one is certain they are right. Can they all be equally "right?" Their different beliefs are just conditioning.

Are there any techniques to clear you of your conditioning? No. Forget it. The Hindus have been trying for eighty thousand years. Just look at the state of India! There are techniques to re-program you, but re-programming is programming (conditioning.) So, is there anything that works?
Meditation? The East says stop the mind. There are two difficulties with this simple solution. One is that the mind does not easily stop– even with many, many lifetimes (let alone years) of devoted meditation. The other is that all ideas come from the mind, which is the source of conditioning, and therefore any idea for going beyond the mind comes from the conditioning of the mind. It does not work.

So, is there any hope? Yes! Absolutely. It is simple. Most people would like to have happier lives, but they do not want to change the way they live. The difficulty is obvious, isn’t it? If you keep doing the same thing in the same way, things are likely to stay the same. Human beings really don’t like change. That’s part of the conditioning of the mind.

However you may not have to drastically change your living conditions to change your life. It is not what you do; it is the way you do it. So, here is the way to set yourself free of the conditioning of the mind without needing to radically alter your normal living conditions.

In Each Moment, be unconditionally present. Simple. Of course the same thoughts will be there, but you do not have to listen to them. If the mind says something practical (avoid that on-coming vehicle,) take action. Otherwise, dare to not listen. Ignore what the mind says. It takes practice. The more you want it, the quicker and easier it becomes. For instance, if you have a terminal health condition, you tend to be more motivated. Eventually the non-essential part of the thinking fades away.

At first nothing seems to change– except you will see situations more clearly, as though from a distance. You will watch the reactions of the body, mind and emotions, and instead of automatically reacting, you will find space and time to respond in a more human way. Your addictions to certain behaviors start to fade. As you devote yourself to this process, you will find that life totally changes– without you having "done" anything.

You will be more aware. You will be more awake, sensitive, caring, loving to yourself and others. And the most important result is that you will feel freer, and will delight in your own happiness.

Paul Lowe has been involved in life coaching, meditation and spiritual practice for the past 40 years. He is the author of two books; The Experiment is Over and In Each Moment, and gives lectures and workshops around the world. For more info see www.paullowe.org.