keep you from hearing the violins and flutes of a symphony。 To be fully here
and now； you must be able to experience all of the instruments of the
symphony。 To live in the beauty of higher consciousness； you must be able to
perceive both the grosser and the more subtle aspects of the world around
you。 Addictions are not evil or bad they just cost you too much in lost
perceptiveness； wisdom； effectiveness； and happiness。
Addictions always cause unhappiness sooner or later。 Preferences never do。
When an addiction is not satisfied； you are unhappy。 When an addiction is
satisfied； you feel momentary pleasure； relief； or indifference。 When a
preference is not satisfied； you are simply indifferent it was only a
preference after all。 But when it is satisfied； it adds to the texture and beauty
of your life。 Your ego and rational mind do not have to guard the source of
your satisfaction because you are not depending on it for happiness。
Upleveling all of your addictions to the status of preferences （or eliminating
them if they cannot add to your joy of living） is a Living Love key to being
joyous and loving all the time。 A practical rule of thumb for one starting on
the road to higher consciousness is to grant oneself emotion…backed demands
for physical necessities such as air； food if starving； or shelter if about to
freeze and all other addictions are sickness！
Only your emotional programming determines whether something is an
addiction or a preference。 You must clearly understand that when we discuss
giving up an addiction； we simply mean reprogramming that part of your
brain that makes you restless； churning； and unhappy if a desire is not
realized。 Your living patterns may or may not be changed when you uplevel
your addictions to preferences。 It is vital that you fully understand that the
growth we are describing lies wholly in reprogramming your automatic
emotional programming it is not necessarily aimed at changing your
external actions。 You can do anything you prefer as long as you are not
addicted。 For when you are free of addictions； your actions will be
characterized by wisdom and oneness。
Some addictions are more costly in lost happiness than others。 An addiction
for having money in your bank account may yield less satisfaction than an
addiction for having a Ph。D。 But both keep you in a constant state of threat；
both dominate your consciousness； and both keep you from fully tuning in to
the beautiful spectrum of the world around you。 And； of course； you do not
need to be addicted to money or knowledge in order to acquire them。 You
can prefer to have money and knowledge （or anything else） and you will then
（and only then） be able to totally enjoy whatever money and knowledge the
river of your life brings to you。
Thus it is not the external circumstances that constitute your addiction it is
only your inside emotional programming that must be changed。 And the
wonderful thing is that it is fully within your ability to do so whereas up to
now you have been hopelessly trying to manipulate the outside world to
conform to your addictions。 You will live in a peaceful world when you
eliminate your addictions and then spend your time making choices on a
preference basis。
SECOND PATHWAY
I am discovering how my consciousness…dominating addictions create my
illusory version of the changing world of people and situations around
me。
We see things not as they are but as we are。 Every addiction distorts your
effective processing （on both conscious and unconscious levels） of the
enormous flow of information that is continually flooding in through all of
your sensory inputs。 Every second your bioputer is receiving millions of
electrochemical impulses from your sight； sound； touch； taste； and olfactory
receptors； and the tissues and organs within your body。 For example； each
hair on your body is connected by a nerve to your brain。 All of your internal
organs are continually sending signals to your bioputer； most of which are
fortunately handled on an unconscious level。
The reticular activating system of your bioputer is a network that selects
what goes into your consciousness。 It screens the data that it sends to your
cerebral center your master analyzer。 This network can close down your
consciousness and put you to sleep。 It can turn up your consciousness and
awaken you when you are asleep。 This neural structure performs the function
that is often referred to as the “ego。” （See Chapter 22 for a fuller discussion
of neurological factors that affect your consciousness。）
You can consciously pay full attention to only one thing at a time although
your consciousness can switch back and forth with lightning rapidity。 How
does your reticular activating system （or ego） select what to pass on to your
consciousness？ It selects the information that is to go into your
consciousness by following the programming that you have been putting into
it since infancy。 Thus your programmed addictions determine your
experience of the world for they are the guides that your reticular activating
system uses to determine which data will be suppressed and which can go
into your consciousness and mand full attention。 In this way； you
gradually develop an illusory version of the people and things in your world
because of the enormous domination of your consciousness by the things you
are programmed to desire and that which you are programmed to fear。
The more you live with your distorted version of the people and things around
you； the more certain you will feel that it is the only “true’ picture of the
world。 Thus you build up a warped picture of yourself and the people and
situations in your world。 For your mind is such that whatever it believes is
true produces a feedback that continually reinforces and molds your
perceptions。
You should always be aware that your head creates your world。 Your
addiction patterns your expectations； your desires； your attachments； your
demands； your mental models dominate your perceptions of the people and
things around you。 It is only when you bee free of your addictive
programming that you can perceive how things really interact in your world。
THIRD PATHWAY
I wele the opportunity （even if painful） that my minute…to…minute
experience offers me； to bee aware of the addictions I must
reprogram to be liberated from my robot…like emotional patterns。
How do you spot your addictions？ It’s easy。 You just notice the desires and
expectations that you use to make yourself feel uptight in various life
situations。 By tuning in to your minute…to…minute stream of consciousness；
you discover the addictions that make you worried； anxious； resentful；
uptight； afraid； angry； bored； etc。 You thus use every unfortable emotion
as an opportunity for consciousness growth。 Even though you may still be
feeling emotional and uptight； you begin to get at the roots of your ups and
downs your brief bits of pleasure and your long periods of unhappiness。
And you begin to feel a deep satisfaction as you bee more awakened and
alive！
In the past you continuously tried to find people who would minimally disturb
your plex security； sensation； and power addictions。 However； a person
for whom you feel little attraction is probably your most helpful teacher in
getting free of some of your addictions。 You will grow faster if you work on
your addictions by experiencing someone that you usually would have
excluded from your life。 When you find that you can remain centered no
matter what he or she does； you will know that you have reprogrammed the
addictions that created the separateness you felt。 And although you have
continued the relationship for your own growth； you will have offered the
other person valuable experiences that he or she can use for his or her rapid
growth （for example； the experience of being loved unconditionally）。 When
you have reprogrammed the addictions that separated you in your feelings；
you may have developed a love and oneness that holds you together。 Or you
may prefer to spend this time in another way and it may then be more
productive of growth for you to follow your preference and be with this
individual less （or not at all