"It is easy to believe that one is master in one's own house, but, as long as we are unable to control our emotions and moods, or to be conscious of the myriad secret ways in which unconscious factors insinuate themselves into our arrangements and decisions, we are certainly not the masters."

-Carl Jung

Hypothetical Emotions

When we watch fictional movies/TV shows, we feel different kinds of emotions compared to “everyday emotions”. The feelings between fictional characters are “neat hypothetical emotions” from a “hypothetical consciousness”. They are meant to point to new possibilities in our real lives though, not to replace them. At the end of the day, what is fulfilling are the “messy everyday emotions” that connect our humanness to the “messy everyday emotions” of others.

"Feelings" aren't so simple

You have heard that it was said: "Don't trust your feelings". Well, there's different categories of "feelings". There's sensationalist feelings that overdramatize and have disproportionate reactions to events. Don't trust those. Then there's non-sensationalist impressions with proportionate reactions to events. Often, this nonrational intuition can save your life and give nonlinear wisdom that your intellect can't.

In the Kingdom, New Equations Referee the Field

Spiritual variables shift equations.

For example, when you enjoy a movie, there are 2 layers of what you want. You want your character to succeed at a pace that is likely quicker than the director's. Yet, on a deeper level, you want to respect the director's autonomy and (not rewrite the story in your mind). Your soul wants the latter because it's nourished when you're not in control.

Even though we prefer the latter for movies, we wrestle with applying it to our own "life movie". That's one reason why there are so many malnourished souls.

Professor Jesus

Jesus Christ, my ultimate Professor. You give access to the missing, hidden variables of the mind’s equations that compute mysterious coherence. The wisdom you provide helps your students see invisible levers that shift interpretive frameworks. Unusual dimensions of issues shine that reorganize understanding in valuable ways. Master of Discernment, you cut fresh keys of insight for us to insert into life’s challenges, giving them a surprising twist to unlock solutions.

Will of God = Story of God = Drama of God

A multi-genre life story is available to anyone who wants it. Action. Lighthearted comedy. Purposeful preparation. Suspense. Electric drama accumulating energy from voltage generated in constant leverage shifts. Vulnerable heartfelt moments. Profound sadness that makes the soul's depths feel alive when validated. Meaningful challenges where fighting for good has big stakes that affect the world. Camaraderie with fellow allies in fighting for a purpose much bigger than each.

He or she who rejects this rejects the will of God.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle

 

Psalm 144:1 + Proverbs 24:6 + Ecclesiastes 9:14-18 + 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 = Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who teaches us the architecture of the human mind to design divine mental weaponry. Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who helps us engineer divinely empowered psychological technology.

With each pursuing year, we suit up with upgrades that Mark our armour with new powers of perception and stronger rays of insight to blast into this dark world of thinking.

After a decade of upgrades, we say blessed be the Lord, my rock, who upgrades our armour to divine nanotech.

The Kingdom's Social Poker

One aspect of Kingdom wisdom is exhibited in social poker (1 Kings 3:16-28). Here, the person gathers intelligence on what emotional cards others are holding close to their chest. The person plays a conversational card and catalogues the defensive instincts reacting to it. The reactions that others have towards others’ reactions are also taken into account. Finally, the person “counts the cards” of the entire context, discerns the presence/absence of defense mechanisms, and matches which unconscious reactions correspond to whose hidden cards. And pierces through the bluff. 

 Those who follow Jesus this way grow in this respect. 

 (If you want good practice for your everyday life, put on your detective hat when examining the evidence in political scandals.)

Runway Words

A designer of verbal expression enjoys the intrinsic task of word selection. One’s vocabulary becomes a wardrobe of fashion garments, mixing and matching ways of dressing up ideas with articulatory flair. There is fun in the verbal dressing room trying matching word combinations in front of the mirror of resonance. Finally, the best match is found, and the model phrase walks out with perfect expression.

The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Nuance

 

If you fear a good God, you’ll be overwhelmed by his goodness in challenges and setbacks. Your defense mechanisms of worst-case-scenario-ing will be kept at bay due to the saturating safety. Now, when your vision is not blinded by dark catastrophizing, you'll see nuanced colours of insightful angles that would otherwise escape you in panic. Those angles will give you wisdom. That’s why the fear of a good God leads to wisdom.