The importance of understanding context

Growing up I was teased for being a dreamer….”Get your head out of the clouds, Joe!” was a phrase I’d often hear growing up – ‘Joseph the Dreamer! or Sometimes I would be called ‘Columbo’ after the TV Detective Character.

Nearly 25 years ago, as a ‘collector of experiences’ I discovered the meaning of CONTEXT* and how essential it is to understand how to “use” it, before developing an opinion; or identifying with a particular ideology. Perhaps it was a coming-of-age shift, or — simply the quality of my questions to myself and to the cultural disconnect I was ever-so trying to avoid. Or maybe it was the passionate fuel within that kept inspiring me to get out of bed and do something meaningful, that made a bigger contribution and impact.

In essence, I had refused to conform to society. So, in return — what I got was an uphill climb pushing a massive boulder with one arm, and the other arm covering my eyes in disgust to what the world seemed to be… to me. In effort to finding my way, I had hidden myself from what was “really” happening. Not out of apathy, but out of empathy. Because I truly couldn’t grasp how to align myself to serve the world, when the world seemed so disjointed.

Year after year, I’d ponder with fantasy-like escapades… traveling to many countries, e.g. Philippines, Pacific Rim, Japan, Korea, Mexico, etc, and also in my mind’s eye to places I’d never even heard of… but could feel within me yearning to be explored. Just because these places were hidden, didn’t mean they couldn’t be discovered.
So as I set out [still in my head] with this journey… I realized, I was still in my head!
Amusing to the core that the biggest morons out there can be deemed — by society’s standards — successful in business. (And, by morons I mean, the ‘I want more millions, more stuff, more power’ people.)

So once I realized by understanding “context” I could begin to improve the quality of my own life AND the many lives of others who I cared so deeply about helping.
Oftentimes, it takes getting “into” ones head to unravel the depths of ones ideas before one can even consider these thoughts as a valid truth. Much of our cultures define themselves through a ‘partial scope’ or lens, that only focuses on a portion of the “universal” truth that we all can call, a collective or shared illusion or optical delusion.. Yet what tends to happen is that there are so many individual parts to this illusion, that the overall objective or meaning gets lost; tainted; skewed; diminished; devalued, etc.

Imagine piercing light through the edge of a clear gem or crystal — as Sir Isaac Newton did when we discovered the white light and colored spectrum. If you shine the light in one particular area of the crystal, you’d be directing that light in one area of its edge. But how many edges are there on the crystal? How many different variations can you create by changing the direction of your light beam? Is it somewhat difficult at first to describe? How could you make it so that you include all the variations of how light can travel through the crystal and then reflect back? What would you need to do in order to carefully unveil your explanation to others, so that they could truly see, feel and grasp the very concept to which you have experienced… It’s not impossible. No. It is, though, not so easy to do. THIS is why so many people are speaking their minds without coming from the “Core of Context.”
Rather than focusing on fantasy — which is an escapist’s route to avoid or deny reality (thoughts, circumstances, emotions…) — we place our focus on the now. This isn’t hocus-pocus stuff; or woo-woo stuff, as many would say (because they can’t understand what it means). We focus on our inner: insight + intention + imagination. Could these be considered the third eye of realization? Well, it’s whatever you choose it mean. THIS is context. THIS is your ideology. THIS is how ‘people’ formulate new concepts into reality.

Here it comes again… “Get out of your head.”

We can indeed prevent our minds from disconnecting out of the present moment, and intentionally focus on what we would like to create. This requires an awareness of not only your thoughts, but your deeply rooted intentions. Bridging this gap is more than following a few trials toward a path… But more about creating, crafting, inventing it based on what is happening, now.

It’s most useful to think from an open context first; and then form your ideologies from a broader perspective. This way, you’re not limiting yourself to only your viewpoint. Considering your viewpoint is skewed already from past experiences and cultural behaviors and pattern formulation; knowing this could be the key to helping you evolve yourself and your relationships beyond anything anyone could ever teach you in “the traditional” educational system.

So, whether a context is driven by fear, greed or lack of “something” — Or, driven by compassion, trust, honor and service… (obviously we want to eradicate the former)…

Context is essential in building your relationship or even a business and thriving in the “new” economy.

The key is in how well you can open up YOUR context to invite others into it. Sometimes this is about sharing your message more effectively to gain support. Other times, it’s about creating harmony and balance within a specific environment.
The reality is just what you conceptualize it to be. If you perceive yourself a certain way; that’s how you’ll show up. Once you open your context, you will find yourself moving OUT of your head and into your deeper intentional part of who you are. This isn’t and cannot be defined by ANY one but you. You now can take this “idea” of yourself and merge it with the world around you. When you open up your context to this degree, you have the potentiality to influence people and create positive change.

When you open up your context to include more than just how “you” see the world, you’re inviting new forms of reality into your limited viewpoint. This is the only way to expand and evolve. Without context — and without expanding it — there’s such limitations to what is possible. This is why practicing how to relate your ideas with an open context will move you out of your “head space” and into inspired action from your “heart space.”

“Get your head out of the clouds or stop dreaming,” isn’t something I hear at all anymore. It sounds more like— “What context are you coming from with that idea, and how will you choose to implement it.” You see, the quality of your life dramatically changes when you open up your mind to express your ideas from a context that includes all “realities.” Real or not.

Now what? Do something! Get your head out of the clouds and stay in this moment to begin crafting your vision into one that inspires change, in a meaningful way.

*Definition of con·text [noun]: The weaving together of words that help to define and explain its meaning (of a circumstance, phrase, event, idea).

Dream on, Joe Vim Whitcomb

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://infidelityrecoveryinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Joe-Whitcomb-Headshot.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]

Joe Whitcomb, PsyDc, LMFT. Author, Psychotherapy and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Find Joe on Facebook. [/author_info] [/author]

 

 

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