Video games and the Law of One

[Monica]

All, I've had a question about polarizing on my mind for a while, and while I think I might have a good grasp on the answer (after having meditated on it), I would still like to hear what you all think!

The question has to do with playing violent video games and the effects it has on polarization. By violent, I'm not just talking about the extreme end of games where an avatar yanks the spinal cord out of its defeated opponent. Rather, I'm talking about the kind of violence that trickles way down to Super Mario squashing an innocent mushroom head with the intention to dominate and subdue it for self-gain (coins! who doesn't want to dominate for coins? C'mon! hehe)

Anyway, my original confusion hovered around whether the artificial reality of video games really had an impact on one's polarization. Are we not simply pressing a joystick and moving pixels of color around a television screen? There's no soul to infringe upon, right? My actions won't affect anyone around me, since I am manipulating a disposable environment... Right??

But then I started thinking about the concept of "intention". I thought that perhaps the fact that I am intending to squash that evil-looking mushroom head is really a way for me to express a fraction of my shadow-side, while mistakingly thinking there's no repercussion. However, if I squash 200 mushroom heads and slowly become drunk and satisfied with my skills and power to dominate, or if I'm a war mongering soldier who is blowing up graphical buildings, nature, animals and any human-like figure that moves on my screen, what is that really doing to my polarization? Am I slowly conditioning myself to become more Service to Self (STS) as I gradually intend to dominate and destroy through the physical manifestation of a video game? Isn't it true that one becomes what he/she thinks?

It's an interesting topic to me, because I find this not only applies to video games, but to taking sides with the villain in a movie, laughing at the expense of someone else on a reality show, or taking to a song on the radio, not realizing that the lyrics are STS-oriented. At first glance it's all good because we're not directly affecting another soul. But since we're all one, I am affecting them because I am affecting myself! So if I play violent video games, then I'm putting that negative conditioning out into consensus reality for others to absorb, as well.

Right? I need some help on this one! Please chime in if you have any ideas. :-/

Thanks,
Steve

What a great question! I have pondered this quite a bit myself, and I don't know the answer to it. I have concerns about this, not so much for myself, but for all our teenagers who spend many hours each day engrossed in cyber-violence.

On the one hand, Ra did say that imagination could be a good outlet for random thoughts, and a bit of indulgence might even be healthy, as entertaining the thought in our imagination, instead of actually doing the deed, would satisfy the desire in a harmless way.

But, OTOH, Ra also said that we are holographic beings and our intentions do create our realities.

So how is this reconciled?

The conclusion I have come to thus far is that, if it's a passing thought, perhaps a momentary indulgence is relatively (relatively!) harmless, but it would seem that repeated, continued focus on violence in our imagination, or in cyberspace (which, one might speculate, could be an actual dimension, after all!) could indeed contribute to the overall mood of violence on our planet.

How could it not? Let's think about this...thoughts are things. Repeated focus on violent thoughts could create thoughtforms, taking on a life of their own...right?

I am guilty of listening to heavy music, some of which might be very symphonic and beautiful (mixed with heavy metal/rock) but with very dark lyrics. I usually don't pay attention to the lyrics but think of the voice as an instrument...sometimes I am shocked to learn what they're really saying, as the music sounded so beautiful. In those cases, I sometimes fool myself into thinking the lyrics are actually positive. But I know they are not, so it does nag at me.

Look at how Pathworking affects us by allowing us to interact with the Archetypes...is not playing a video game a sort of Pathworking?

Let's explore this...

Wow, awesome insights, DreamingPeace! Yes, let's definitely continue on this. You are right in that thoughts are, indeed things. I wish I could remember where I read this, but it's "said" that many fictitious characters "actually live" in other dimensions because our consensus reality has thought so heavily about Characters like Charlie Brown, or Superman. So your supposition that thinking enough about a certain vibration, no matter what the intention, creates a reality more and more for it.. Whether it's a song, a game, or a deceased person. Hmmm...
                 You rang?

Hey Superhero , that is a disconcerting, yet fascinating, thought! ...gives a whole new 'dimension' to the concept of Co-Creation!

My training in Rebirthing, in the importance of expressing (harmlessly) and clearing negative emotions, has been validated by Q'uo.

Can someone help me here? I'm referring to a particular session in which instructions were given for gathering negative emotions into the heart, where they can be transformed into Love...this really blew my mind! To think of the heart as a transformative device...sort of like those Play-Do toys where you input some goo and out comes a pretty shape! I've utilized this technique many times since reading that, and have found it to be very powerful!

We know that emotions have an important purpose in 3D...we know that Ra has advised us to use our imagination as an outlet for negative urges, rather than acting upon them.

Do you think maybe playing video games (or listening to emotionally intense or lyrically negative music, watching violent movies, etc.) might be healthy if it's used therapeutically and consciously, as in, venting, burning off some steam...but then at some point, if we continue to indulge, then it might begin to actually ADD to the very negativity we were trying to alleviate?

So, maybe the question is: At what point does it (meaning imagination, whether in the mind or in cyber-space) cease to become therapeutic and begin to productive, as in, the creation of or adding energy to, thoughtforms?