Reaction* - noun

re·​ac·​tion ( rē-ˈak-shən )

    a: the act or process or an instance of reacting

     b : resistance or opposition to a force, influence, or movement

especially : tendency toward a former and usually outmoded political or social order or policy

1. : a response to some treatment, situation, or stimulus. also : such a response expressed verbally

2. : bodily response to or activity aroused by a stimulus:

a

: an action induced by vital resistance to another action

especially : the response of tissues to a foreign substance (such as an antigen or infectious agent)

b

: depression or exhaustion due to excessive exertion or stimulation

c

: heightened activity and overaction succeeding depression or shock

d

: a mental or emotional disorder forming an individual's response to his or her life situation

 There are many ideas and theories concerning the best way to handle the changing tides of life with its, actions and situations that occur throughout. These can vary quite a lot, but not everyone necessarily makes a worthy choice. In fact, some can be downright detrimental to one’s life and spiritual progress although one may not even realize this to be the case. At times people will say that they are simply reacting to a person or a thing that was said. To be honest, we all react in different ways at different times, most often without a thought about the nature of reaction. It comes easily and seemingly naturally which is how it can escape being noticed. But it is not always such a free thing that happens nor is it without recompense.

 But supposing the attention rests on it and decides to investigate a bit, what is found therein? Reactions happen so quickly and without forethought, that they are not necessarily a choice. At least if they are, they are quite good at disguising themselves. Can they do harm? Are they rooted in anything positive or are they negative, and why? They certainly can cause harm, but also can seem to do good, the same state of duality that is found in everything else when examined containing the same degree of illusion that can create problems. Sometimes it can be found that having constant reactions develops into a habitual behavior, but not necessarily a good habit.

The reason is that reactions are to put it plainly, the surrender of self-control to that which lies at the heart of the reaction. This might be caused by the words of or an action by someone, or even a concern over something that hasn’t yet occurred. These reactions can seem completely innocent when they happen, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve closer attention to determine what is happening. It is not often a good thing to surrender one’s self-control, apart from surrendering it to God or an appointed physical spokesperson such as an ECK Master.

When one surrenders their will too easily it can be a problem as negative entities will always try to deceive one for the purpose of gaining control. Also, there is the potential for one’s own prejudices and passions to influence mistakes in judgment, a product of the mind and emotions to one extent or another. When it isn’t God or one of ITS appointees, it tends to be a negative entity most often. Thus, the reason attention must be used to investigate and determine what is at play and whether or not they are factors of the self or that of an external entity, or perhaps even both.

The cause of the reliance on reaction must be identified so that the steps can be taken toward a solution. Anytime negative entities are involved, there are specific steps that can be used to eliminate them and then block their influence out. But that leaves the natural causes in place and unaffected. A bit of honest self-evaluation is necessary to get to the root of this and why it exists and whether they are truly unconscious actions or not, as each are a choice. Often the awareness of a choice is in many cases what this boils down to, and only a conscious choice can be used to conquer the habitual use. We humans excel at our usage of excuses to place blame outside of ourselves, we tend to make an art form of it.

 It reminds me of an applicable quote, “We each decide whether to make ourselves learned or ignorant, compassionate or cruel, generous or miserly. No one decides for us, no one drags us along one path or the other. We are responsible for what we are.” – Maimonides. This quote remains true regardless of any negative entities being involved. The law of karma prevails, which can mean that always allowing reaction to take precedence may not be the best course of action. When one is knowingly reacting and submitting their self-control, they inevitably reap the karma because they’ve allowed this to be the case and it remains a choice.

 Therefore, it comes down to the individual making a choice, to willingly allow reaction to reign, or to instead take a greater degree of both control and responsibility for the purpose of changing things toward the more positive. This brings us to the opposite of reaction, the state of instead, acting upon the information gained about the situation at hand. The difference between the two is apparent. In the first, one merely reacts to some outer input by taking the passive role rather than the active one. Sometimes this doesn’t necessarily lead to the worst outcome, but neither does it lead to the best.

 Instead, one can look more deeply and gain as much information as possible, then use that to examine each option all the way through to their potential end, including the possible variations. Then compare each and determine the route to the best outcome possible. This is what I mean by acting upon the situation. This takes definitive and active steps toward becoming better informed about the prevailing circumstances, all information accessible and the variety of possible outcomes along each line and acting upon the need of the situation. This is closely akin to peering into the future, although the endings may not necessarily work out quite as expected. Variation is always possible. But this can open the awareness of numerous potential variations of outcome depending on the choices and methods taken to get to that point. One is never able to have one-hundred percent control over every variable or situation, but one can certainly raise their chances toward the more positive outcome rather than simply allowing reaction to determine them.

 All have reactions and none are immune from these, but the individual can also pay greater attention and work toward helping situations to not be so random or uncontrolled (making a potential outside manipulation possible) and instead be better guided toward the path one would rather travel. The control of self is a wide area with much to accomplish and many steps along the way to earning the full state of awareness coupled with complete self-control, so each step and level is an important one for the individual that accomplishes much and brings learning from each experience.

 As one develops spiritually, they leave behind the haphazard ways they previously did things for more balanced, calculated and controlled ways that tend to bring less trouble. And these have been highlighted by the experiences, usually in the form of hard lessons resulting from mistakes made. While trouble in general is a process of education, it is one that most who experience a certain amount realize they’d prefer to avoid whenever possible. This is what makes discernment important and shows the difference between the reactive state and that in which one instead acts upon the situation and relevant information toward a better end than might be had otherwise.

 Each has the choice and must do as they see fit but having the whole of the information of both sides seems a better place to start toward making an effective choice. Obviously, there can be numerous interpretations and ways of viewing these matters, but this is one topic I’ve not often heard mentioned in discussion while having much experience with personally. So, this short piece exists to bring the topic for consideration to any who deem it worth their time and attention as it most often slips through without gaining any awareness of it. Which choice will be the case for you?

© 2022 – Matt Sharpe, All Rights Reserved

*  http://https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reaction