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program_peace

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involve putting others down or even putting yourself above them What would it take for you to
have optimal selfesteem Lets explore that in the next activity
Serotonin Activity imagine Extreme Superiority
What would be needed for you to feel triumphant How would you feel if you heroically
saved the lives of every person on the planet and are now taking interviews on international
television Imagine that you have been the most charismatic person on earth your entire life
and everyone already expects effortless magnetism from you Imagine being the worlds
most famous superstar or the emperor of the galaxy Imagine being the undisputed boss
gorilla in a jungle full of tiny monkey friends Imagine being thousands of years old the oldest
soul and the wisest most centered person on the planet
Now imagine not being corrupted by this absolute power and being a calm measured
beneficent leader and protector How would all this influence you to hold your body and
face How would your bracing and posture be affected How would you breathe How
would it make you feel deep down in your gut and heart Inner peace at last Can you live
your life feeling this way without needing these outlandish scenarios You can
Serotonin and the Ego
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled all those who humble themselves will be exalted
Jesus c BCE
The human ego is a specialized neurological system found in all primate brains that causes us to
analyze whether we should be more or less insecure and consequently whether our serotonin
should be lower or higher The monkey that thinks more about their place in the hierarchy has
more objective notions about their station and the social appropriateness of their actions
Consequently a monkey that is highly concerned with its ego may do well relative to the other
members of its troop Hence the ego is sometimes referred to as the monkey mind
In primates serotonin level is also a fertility indicator The most dominant males have the
most offspring Individuals that excel in statusseeking contribute more to the gene pool
Thus we are selfconscious and egoobsessed today because it was good for our ancestors
reproductive success But as modernday human beings we are not looking to maximize our
number of offspring or even our sexual partners What we really want is to be happy without
being controlled by our egos So again we are at odds with our biology
The egotistical thoughts that you experience are not you and you have little control over
them Realize that the negative conceited thinking going on in your head likely has nothing to
do with your aspirational self your true self These thoughts that you think are yours are
generated by your brains instincts to be endlessly competitive The social concerns you find
yourself ruminating about come from this monkey mind and the way it has been programmed
by the other monkey minds you have interacted with up until today The real you is not
Chapter Serotonin Optimism and Cooperation
concerned with reputation and comparison The real you who is now gradually taking over
your thinking process is not even interested
Because this instinct is so strong status is most peoples ultimate goal This means that
they have no overarching ambition in life other than to increase their sense of status relative to
the people around them Once you see this clearly you can become motivated to choose goals
other than the one that natural history selected for us To disconnect from your ego you must
stop feeding it Make your goal to starve it in the following exercise
Serotonin Activity Imagine Extreme Inferiority
Imagine being the weakest most poorly composed person on the planet Imagine that you
have been utterly rejected by your parents every friend and each romantic partner Imagine
that people have been turning away from you in disgust as soon as they see you for years
Imagine that you have been jumped and beaten by a gang of people more than a dozen
times Imagine that you were completely embarrassed in the most humiliating way possible
on a popular reality show and that it is now all over the Internet Imagine having a job in
which the patrons or clients treat you in a haughty and cavalier way Imagine constantly
being treated like you are less than a person
At the same time imagine being at complete peace with all of this Picture being a servant
without a chip on your shoulder a whipping boy with optimal posture or a mistreated but
evercheerful golden retriever Put yourself through the fire by imagining the most
denigrating scenarios you can and in so doing inure your psyche against even the harshest
flames Retain complete cool in these situations without letting them ignite your pain
In Activity asked you to pretend to be superior to everyone and then in activity
asked you to be inferior Surely we are neither But we can intentionally take the best aspects
but none of the negative aspects out of these two extreme scenarios see Table below
Unfortunately many people take the worst from both scenarios and develop a personality as
pernicious to themselves as others They can neither take criticism nor compliments well
They are boastful but also engage in abusive selftalk They love to argue with and gossip about
others but cant stand up for themselves when it counts They apologize when they shouldnt
and often dont apologize when they should Rising above this kind of behavior is as easy as
accepting your shortcomings and being comfortable and calm when confronted with them
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
Best Attributes
Selfsatisfied confident assured
assertive effective powerful
honored content spirited
stately selfrespecting valiant
Dominant
calm courageous
Worst Attributes
Selfabsorbed pompous vain
egotistical bossy domineering
despotic privileged scornful
imperious contemptuous arrogant
snooty pretentious
Humble easygoing respectful
nonresistant meek
accommodating amenable
ingratiating patient modest
Inferior
uncomplaining unselfish
Wimpy resigned acquiescent
deferential obedient passive
compliant pliable servile cowardly
doubtful unsure shy timid
pessimistic rootless fearful
Table Take only the best attributes of dominance and submission
Our Brains Ration Serotonin
If animals are selfinterested survival machines then why dont their brains maximize serotonin
production It would undoubtedly be a simple adaptation Animals have not evolved to do this
because it would be dangerous to be a nondominant animal with a dominant mindset If you
are an animal losing a fight it is actually beneficial to lower your serotonin because it makes
you act submissive shielding you from further harm and retaliation When researchers
artificially raise serotonin in a nondominant ape it will act dominant Merely acting dominant