Welcome to the Grow Inward Podcast, I am your host Adrian Petrillo.
I often find myself daydreaming about what I could do to positively change the world. I want to do something so big, and so amazing, that it changes everything for the better. As you can imagine, sometimes this idea strikes me as so silly and so unachievable, that I just kind of shake my head and think “what the hell are you thinking man, get real”. I am sure many of you listening have felt this way too at times? The truth is that most of us have a deep desire to do something much more amazing with our lives than where we find ourselves.
It doesn’t have to necessarily be changing the world, but most of us feel that we can somehow do better. There is this small voice within us that bubbles up every now and again, poking us in the chest, saying hold it! Is this really what you want to be doing? Are you actually making a difference, or doing the right thing here? It’s a very common thing to want more for yourself, or to do better, this is just something hard wired within us.
The question becomes how can you decide on what would be most appropriate for you? Well, I am so glad you asked that question (laughs)! We are going to talk about this very important skill today, which is discernment, and just how important this is in your life.
I am sure that you are rather familiar with discernment, and what it means. It is essentially the act of exercising your own insight and good judgement, and this could not be a more important and valuable skill than it is today. I say this because of the particular time and place that we find ourselves in, and the psychological influence being heavily waged upon our psyche’s at this time.
It’s no secret that there have been long term studies in academia, corporate, medical, military, and government arenas that have been hyper focused on perfecting psychological techniques to influence people and create desired outcomes for all sorts of different applications. The knowledge that has been accumulated from these studies is powerful indeed, and as with anything, could be used in very useful ways, or very devious ways.
When it comes to media and societies today, unfortunately, I think it is very clear which side they stand on. If you think that psychological warfare is not being used in the theatre of our lives today, I invite you to check out the link in the show notes that references this. There is a short article talking about some of these ideas, and a particularly interesting document that you can download right at the top of the article. It is about a symposium put on by NATO recently that is centered specifically around Cognitive Warfare. It’s a huge document, but I invite you to simply read the table of contents and the conclusions of each section for quick feel for where these people’s heads are at, and what that looks like for each of us. I believe this kind of approach to life as a battlefield is highly immoral and dangerous, they do not understand the complexity of everything that they are dealing with and the catastrophic effects it could have en masse.
As I have mentioned in previous episodes, I realize that these kinds of topics are not pleasant to talk about, but understanding these things is critical to make better decisions for yourself. This episode is all about discernment, and looking at the world through a critical eye, both externally and internally. It is very important that you take the time to think about what you allow into your life and your consciousness.
With that, let’s dive into some of what I would like to speak about with you today. When you think about being discerning, try to think about it in a broad context of what you are willing to allow into your life. The cognitive warfare example struck me as a perfect way to frame this conversation. Not because I want to talk about these negative concepts playing out in our society today, but rather to help you understand the gravity of what could be at stake when it comes to making discerning choices in your life. I understand that this is an extreme example, but it is one that is very real, and therefore very useful, in terms of context. If you at least have an awareness of some of the tactics and tools being used against you, it will help you make much better decisions for yourself.
Psychological manipulation can be extremely subtle, so subtle in fact that you will likely have no idea when it is working perfectly and exactly as designed. Technology has reached a point that this kind of manipulation can easily be programmed into the very fabric of the algorithms which underly a great deal of the most used and popular products on the planet, and these algorithms are analyzing and learning patterns, enabling it to evolve quickly with the help of very powerful AI. It cannot be overstated how powerfully effective and dangerous this can be, when used for the purpose of manipulation that will help to achieve a desired outcome. There is a great video that talks about this in terms of social media today, I have included a link to that in the show notes, and I highly encourage you to watch that video!
When we take many of these ideas that provide us with some context, and extend them out even further. We can begin to see how they touch nearly every part of our daily lives. When you observe people in society with their heads down and completely disconnected from the world around them, you have to ask yourself “where is this leading us, where is this leading children who grow up in this kind of atmosphere, where are our genuine human connections going?”
This is where discernment is so incredibly important and powerful. It is important to think very critically about how much you are willing to allow into your mind and your life, when it comes to the many different forms of media and entertainment. It is important that you understand the underlying motivations of those who are creating and distributing it. Are they trustworthy? Is the intent and purpose behind it in line with your values and integrity? Can I be sure that I understand these things clearly, or is it possible that there are manipulative factors at work that do not serve me? How can I discern these things more effectively?
It can be helpful to look for patterns in the things that you do allow into your life, and the way that these individual things make you feel. What kinds of patterns can you identify in your own behavior when using different forms of media. How does using Facebook or Instagram typically make you feel? How does the evening news make you feel? How do images of beautiful and perfect people with amazing lives make you feel? Really dive into these things with a renewed sense of critical thinking and question them honestly. Am I actually being discerning, or am I just operating on autopilot with my same familiar behaviors and beliefs?
Just identifying these types of things can be extremely empowering and insightful. You may be surprised to find just how little you are actually questioning things anymore. It may simply be habitual at this point, without you having even noticed what you are doing to yourself and your own mind? Ask is this by accident or simply coincidental, or could it possibly more than that?
I want to shift gears here to some very tangible things you might consider watching for, when you begin to consider where and how these different things are showing up in your life today. First off, I want to tell you one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in my life. Trust your first instinct above all else! When you ask yourself a question, pay close attention to the first thing that comes to mind.
I know that sounds obvious, but so few of us actually do it! When it comes to our personal and spiritual growth, this will become a powerful tool that we learn to lean into more and more, over time. This is because we begin to see how turning our attention within for guidance and trust tends to lead us closer toward meaningful growth than looking outside of ourselves for experts or knowledge who are incapable of knowing everything about our personal needs. It becomes obvious that seeking answers in the outer world often leaves us feeling conflicted, scattered, and predictably running from one thing to the next.
The thing is that we have this internal guidance system that is remarkably accurate, and the best part is that it is specifically tuned to us. It has a lifetime of patterns and experiences, thoughts and emotions, strengths and weaknesses, morals and values that it can draw from, when it comes to instantly knowing the right thing to do. This is your internal discernment, and it is weaved into the very fabric of who you are! I am certain that you have felt this at some point. There is no doubt that you have experienced a moment when you immediately knew when something was right or wrong, without having to even think about it. Lean into this super power and trust your inner guidance when it comes to discernment.
When your heart and your mind work in tandem with your intelligence, it is a beautiful thing. You are a finely tuned machine that is much more amazing than you might think. If you can pull your attention away from external influences to get some clarity, this machine can work its magic for you much more effectively. If there is something important that you need to decide or interpret, be sure to shut out all external influences first. Get clear first and then trust your gut reaction or instinct, try not to think too hard about it or examine it to pick it apart. You may be amazed at the intelligence built right into the guidance you receive, there is much more at work than just a choice, there are layers and layers of unconscious wisdom that lead you to that conclusion. Trust it, act on it, and give it time to prove itself out.
One other thing I want to say about effective discernment is to lean heavily into your faith and integrity. We talked about your sacred values and what you stand for. Weave those things into your discernment about what you are allowing into your life, the direction you are taking on any given choice, how others are treating you and talking to you, what others try to impress upon you. Stand firm in who you are and what you believe, even when it isn’t the most popular. Be open to a conversation, but firm in your conviction, integrity, and values. Faith is important in these matters, because you won’t always get blatant proof that it is the right thing. Sometimes all you have is your values and your integrity to stand on, and guess what, that is always enough. When you stand for those, you stand in who you are, and you are doing the right thing! Do not be dissuaded through manipulation, discernment is yours and yours alone when it comes to what is right for you.
Having faith in ourselves when it comes to our own discernment will be necessary for some other important reasons as well, not the least of which is the uncertainty principle. Uncertainty is the persistent truth underlying everything that we experience. We cannot have certainty about the choices we make, the problems we face, the events that will unfold, or how others will respond to us. This isn’t possible, and such a large part of inner work is coming to this conclusion for ourselves and finding a way to accept this fundamental truth. This is an inherently difficult part of inner work and growth, and it will not change as long as we are here on this planet.
We must discern this for ourselves, however we can. It takes work, it takes mistakes, it takes constant new beginnings, it takes honesty, and it takes courage to keep trying. You may think you finally have it, and then it is lost again in the next moment. We all have unconscious fears that drive a large part of our behaviors and choices, remember that we are all trying to minimize those fears and do the best we can. It is good to remain humble when we find ourselves judging others who do not discern the way we might. They have an entirely different set of fears, thoughts, emotions, and experiences that drive their own behavior. Ultimately, they are doing what they believe is right for them, so it is important that we remind ourselves of this and try not to get too wrapped up in our perception of right and wrong.
I say all of that to say this. I have found after many years of my own introspection and growth, that one of the best things that we can do is to try to be the best example that we believe and would like to see more of in the world. Don’t try to save the world, try to offer love within the world that you find yourself in. When you do this successfully, you have changed the world by changing the part that you can control, yourself. And when you fail, pick yourself up and begin again. Discern what you can do better the next time, and keep your most valuable lessons in your back pocket, they have served you very well, even if you can’t see them clearly in the moment. Be patient, these will be revealed to you in many different and often surprising ways.
I hope you enjoyed this episode. You can find all the links mentioned in this podcast in the show notes below. Until next time, never underestimate the power you have within you, and keep Growing Inward.
