When we touch our authentic being—the simple “I am”—there is an expansiveness that can be terrifying to the mind. Joe identifies this as the core reason we flee into doubt, questioning, and mental activity:
“Because the big expansiveness of ‘I am’ scares the shit out of you and your mind in particular.”
The Fear Behind the Flight
The mind fears that direct contact with who we really are will:
- Make us “crazy”
- Make us unable to relate to others
- Make us incapable of operating in the world
“Those are all the fears of getting direct contact with who you are.” These fears are universal. They explain why we develop elaborate strategies to avoid simply being present with ourselves.
The Pattern
- Touch “I am” (authentic presence)
- Experience the expansiveness
- Mind panics
- Retreat into doubt, questioning, searching
- “I am” becomes something to find rather than something to be
- Return to the familiar contraction
The Paradox
Everything we’re searching for—purpose, meaning, connection—lives in the very expansiveness we’re avoiding. The search is the avoidance.
Joe demonstrates that when we simply ask “How do I live my purpose right now?”—we immediately touch that expansiveness again. It’s always available. We just keep leaving it.
Related Concepts
- Doubt is leaving your heart
- Purpose is lived in the present moment
- Grief of self-abandonment
- Aloneness without loneliness is a sign of authentic self-discovery