Characters and Drama

What if we pretend that we're actually the viewer of the movie called My Life?  The viewer is who you really are, and all of the thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and other stuff belong to a bunch of characters in that movie.  The characters aren't really who you are, they're just made up by actors.    Most of the time you think these characters are who you are, but the mere fact that you're watching them means that they are not you.  They are your Conditioning masquerading as you.

There are a lot of places we can go with this little game.  For instance,  we can start asking the question "Who does this character remind me of?"

1. Maybe it's your mother or father.  
2. Maybe it's a teacher you had a long time ago. 
3. Maybe a childhood friend. 
4. Maybe a childhood enemy..: 

Recognizing these characters when they show up can go a long way towards unhooking you from the drama of what they have to say.  Remember, you're just watching this movie.  You could call this process "Dis-identification."

As patterns or themes start to emerge, you can name the characters.  So what does your cast of characters look like?  Here's some of mine:

1. The Judge (sounds and feels a lot like my mother)
2. The Despairing Convict  (my mother as Victim)
3. The Foreman (sounds and feels a lot like my father)
4. The Misunderstood Genius (I got that one from a high school teacher)

There are more, but you get the idea.  Recognizing these characters can help you recognize them as conditioning and keep you from getting stuck playing one.