Originally Posted by Al
The mindfulness is consciousness becoming aware of itself. In this one becomes progressively aware of their thoughts. Content. Frequency. Patterns. Attention. Awareness. This is both thought and emotion.
The negative path is that based essentially in control. An individual will work to control and determine what emotions and thoughts may be allowed.
The positive path is based essentially in freedom. Those thoughts and emotions not conducive to the individual are relinquished.
The polarities are of the same core; understanding why the thoughts and emotions arise is that which allows progress to be made.

You are right, Al. allhail

I see it now. I also see that my example of telling myself to stop was the negative path.

This understanding emerged, thanks to your groundwork here, and from a day-long philosophical conversation with a good friend of mine today. She had said in defence of the bible, But people need something so they will know right from wrong.

All day long in my discussions the same theme kept surfacing..."rules, laws, restitution, punishment". I kept thinking back to your recent posts about harmony and freedom. Everything was pointing toward this -- to freedom!

I realized that natural consequences exist to help people learn how to behave. But more importantly, if you try to force anything, put up any kind of boundaries, eventually a reaction will occur to oppose the force.

It makes me think of when people engage in a restrictive diet. They often successfully control their food intake for a while, then they lose control. If they manage to keep control, it becomes a regiment, you can feel it with them, the lack of freedom, the rigidness about them. It works, but it is not positive.