Seeing Is Believing Or Is It?

Do You Believe What You See Or Do You See What You Believe?


Seeing Is Believing Or Is It? Do You Believe What You See Or Do You See What You Believe? Picture of half a woman's face and focusing on her right eye, which is staring at something.

Do we see what we believe?


“Why is this taking so long...if seeing is believing I can’t see this happening…?”

I was walking on the beach this morning enjoying the sound of the sea lapping on the shingle. My mind was in neutral and I was feeling gratitude for such a beautiful morning and for the blessing of living by the coast.

My thoughts drifted and wandered to the realisation of one my most cherished objectives, and then to the business deal that could make that possible… and then I was mulling over how this business deal may or may not succeed.

My thoughts then drifted further into analysis of how much this mattered to me and all the good things that depended on getting the result I wanted. I thought of how a successful outcome would enable me to help a particular person I have been mentoring.

Then I started getting frustrated and within only a few short minutes my peace of mind and present moment awareness was shattered and I was feeling tense, anxious and resentful.



    The ego has a very clear idea of how things ought to be.

    When reality doesn’t match that image and expectation the result is frustration and pain.








Seeing Is Believing, Or Is It?


The red pill.


Like the characters in "The Matrix" we are fooled by the illusion that what we see is how things really are. Why? Because this is the mind's default setting. It sees:

  • Things “out there”
  • A world of circumstances and events and situations
  • The present moment through the lens of its own inner map of reality which it links up seamlessly with its memory of a past and it conjecture and projection of a future
  • We confuse this inner map of reality with the world as it is

On this site, we place a lot of emphasis on learning how to think effectively and also on learning and practicing the art of not thinking.

Why? Because a quiet mind is an insightful mind and a resourceful mind.

The most effective way of achieving a quiet mind is with the zen practise of mindfulness.

The purpose of this:

  • Is not to suppress your thinking but to surpass it
  • To experience that you are not your thoughts
  • To learn how to respond to your thoughts in the most insightful and resourceful way
  • To ensure that over the long term you optimise the outcomes that you experience

As you become more mindful, you become aware that in the gaps between your thoughts, you are far more than the limited and conventional sense of self of your egoic mind.

If you continue with this practice you come to realise that we are spiritual or energetic beings and that we really are all interconnected and part of one all-embracing everything.

It sounds dramatic, but to some degree, the walls of separation fall away - or at least weaken.




    The egoic mind is not an energetic being, it is not holistic and has no sense of interconnection and the bigger picture.

    The egoic mind's intention and expectation is inextricably linked to circumstance.








Seeing Is Believing And The Power Of Expectation




The Power Of Expectation Of An Outcome Regardless Of The Lack Of Any Substance To That Expectation.

The placebo effect is based on the power of belief and expectation of an outcome regardless of the lack of any substance to that belief or expectation. Considerable research has been undertaken on this and there is a body of evidence that suggests that expectation can have a significant impact on outcome.

This is not magical thinking, but the interaction of your mind and body and the positive neurological benefits that can be generated by your belief and expectation.

How you feel has a major effect on how you think and behave.

How you think and behave has a significant effect on the quality of your response to the events in your life. It is the cumulative effect of these responses that shape your long term life experience.

In an earlier article I shared a personal experience of this where I was grounded in, and fixated on, circumstances.

I was looking outside of myself to circumstances seeking evidence of how I could believe that my intentions were possible.

Eventually I realised that belief, or expectation, was an internal state, and that my experience of life was ultimately dependent on that.



    Don’t keep looking outside of yourself, to circumstances, to find evidence on which to base your expectation – it starts and ends in you.








Seeing Is Believing & Dropping the "How?"


Letting go and dropping the “How?” is hard for the ego because it is fixated on seeing is believing and letting go is an act of surrender – of giving up control.

Also it is a matter of temperament. Those of us who see ourselves as the leader and in charge can find it particularly difficult. Often we can only really let go when we reach a stage of desperation.

Alternatively, we can use the following less dramatic and less stressful two-step approach:

[1] The cognitive context

Remind yourself that:


[2] The practice









    Stop Worrying About How It’s Going To Happen And Start Expecting That It Will.










Next Article: What Difference Did You Make?

Return from "Seeing Is Believing" to: Walking The Talk

Or return to: What Is Spirituality?


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