Top 100 Self-Deceptions Exercise

[ucan99]

1 hour ago, ZenSwift said:

I realize that I do not have an explicit enough definition of self Deception to identify my own self Deceptions.

 

This has been a problem for me. As I would like to learn how to derive my own list of discovered self deceptions. 

 

Any pointers guys? 

Leos self deception -the first video was the one I learned self deception from. I think that was a good start, although I got a little bit obsessive about catching my deceptions which might be personal.

[r0ckyreed]

4 hours ago, ZenSwift said:

This has been a problem for me. As I would like to learn how to derive my own list of discovered self deceptions. 

 

Any pointers guys? 

Contemplate. Get out a journal and just sit alone in room or in nature and just think about a topic for 30 minutes straight. To produce that list took me about 30 minutes and I kind of entered an intuitive, channeling state from the question(s): “What is the matrix really? Self-deception. What is self-deception? What are 100 ways in which I deceive myself?”

[r0ckyreed]

2 hours ago, ucan99 said:

In what way do you think dreams are a kind of self deception? Don't they give us all the opportunities to analyze oneself and maybe even discover our deceptions?:)

To dream and be convinced it is real is to deceive yourself. But you bring up an interesting point in that it is strange loopy and paradoxical because on the one hand, dreams put us in another state/reality/simulation that we believe is real and we are put in situations of our unconscious mind. But it is upon waking up that we realize it was a self-deception and then if we remember our dreams, we connect with our unconscious shadow mind. Dreaming is still a self-deception like TV and video games even if they are still practical and have lessons in them.

Life is a gigantic self-deception.

[r0ckyreed]

15 hours ago, Sincerity said:

Thanks! 

Hmm. You're right with this point, I kind of forgot about this. 

My idea was that sometimes shutting off contemplation and sitting in silence is necessary. By which I mean that contemplation is not a substitute for meditation. Self-deception would be thinking that it is. The truth is I like deep contemplation a lot and it comes very easily to me, but rigorous meditation not so much, and so I caught myself deceiving myself that contemplation is enough.  Still don't have this God damn meditation habit, but contemplating for 2-4 hours is a piece of cake. How am I gonna realize my Nature and integrate it into my life like this?

I didn't phrase it in the best way. 

I have that same problem/deception. I will add that to my list.

All problems in life are problems of self-deception. The Matrix/Devil creates problems.

It is so liberating to realize that reality is perfect, and there are no problems, only the Matrix. I’m gonna contemplate the Matrix more.

Theres another self-deception - thinking that I am ever done or fully enlightened. As soon as I contemplate something, I think I am done. False. And another is thinking that my favorite intellectuals or gurus are enlightened. To even think that is a self-deception.

Edited January 24, 2023 by r0ckyreed

[Adam M]

Here's one:

"Thinking that your goal is more complicated and difficult to achieve than it actually is."

 

another:

 

"feeling unworthy to deserve the best of the best."

[Sincerity]

5 hours ago, r0ckyreed said:

Theres another self-deception - thinking that I am ever done or fully enlightened. As soon as I contemplate something, I think I am done. False. And another is thinking that my favorite intellectuals or gurus are enlightened. To even think that is a self-deception.

Ohhhh that's a good one!  How could we forget haha.

[Jodistrict]

12 hours ago, ZenSwift said:

I realize that I do not have an explicit enough definition of self Deception to identify my own self Deceptions.

 

This has been a problem for me. As I would like to learn how to derive my own list of discovered self deceptions. 

 

Any pointers guys? 

I practice ruthless honesty during the day as things go on.  I monitor my emotions and what I am telling myself.  It is especially useful when being triggered.  You get better at it with practice.  A good place to start is with always questioning your motives.  They can be really slippery.  For example, I made a post because I thought it would be useful.  But was my real motive just to get attention?  The mind will quickly hide true motives that go against the morality of the super ego which generates shame to suppress them.  So you not only observe your true motive but you also observe the rules that are stored in your super ego and the feelings it generates.  The super ego stores rules installed by your parents and culture.  When you become aware of them, your adult mind can decide whether they are still useful or should be discarded.

[caspex]

I don't want to rank all 100 of them in a Top 100 but I will list them down in no particular order. Here I go
 

1. Assuming I understand some concept
2. Biased
3. Underestimating my own abilities
4. Overestimating my own abilities
5. Distracting myself through entertainment
6. Emotional Grief that can be easily solved if I just work on it
7. Procrastination
8. The concept of "Deserving"
9. Unrealistic Expectations for my goals
10. Unrealistic Expectations of other people's behaviour
11. Ego, even though 'I' know it's false by experience
12. Thinking that Reality isn't perfect or one even though I have seen it to be
13. Intentionally causing worry to distract myself
14. Underestimating tasks
15. Overestimating tasks
16. Moving on from something and ignore it when really I know I should think on it
17. Thinking in dualities
18. Assuming that History contains only that which I have been told
19. Assuming that I know fairly well how the world works
20. Cherry picking excuses to not do something but not thinking of counter arguments to the excuses
21. Not using the cherry picking strategy to convince myself to do things that are productive
22. Assuming I'll die at atleast 60 or above
23. Assuming that I have a fairly good idea of my future will go in the coming weeks when the success rate of those predictions is below 50%
24. Assuming that my future will be a certain way so I have no need to worry
25. Saying that I could do it if I really wanted to
26. Assuming something is just a waste of time simply because I don't want to look into it
27. Assuming I won't like something simply because it's new
28. Assuming that what's familiar will always stay familiar
29. Assuming that what's familiar will always work the same way
30. Assuming that there is something outside my direct Pov, even though I have no evidence for it
31. Thinking that I am making progress by only thinking of the successes when in reality I am regressing
32. Excessive modelling to escape action
33. Overestimating the time it will take to do something
34. Not continuing a project simply because I was off it for a while and can't remember what I did last, and therefore assuming that to reintroduce myself to the project will be a pain
35. Same as 34 but instead starting over when there is no need to
36. Convincing myself that something I did was alright when really it wasn't
37. Using teachings that I don't embody to justify actions or thoughts
38. comparing myself to others to make myself do or not do things
39. Doing things that I don't really want to do, simply because it's convenient
40. Attached to Leo but think that I am not
41. all talk no action
42. thinking I am so good after helping someone out
43. Indulging in habits that nullify each other's progress and blaming it on the good habit instead of the bad one, and then eliminating the good habit as ineffective
44. Assuming that I understand someone
45. Assuming that I CAN understand someone/something
46. Bookmarking stuff to get back to it later, but in reality that's just an excuse to not look at it
47. Making excuses to not to do uncomfortable tasks
48. Assumption
49. Thinking that the state I produced after 30 seconds of thinking(to remember) is on par with the state that I originally produced after hours of thinking
50. Same as 49 but instead of states it's realization
51. Thinking that conclusions are possible
52. thinking that I am not repeating myself in this list even though I am
53. telling myself that I don't care even though I do
54. telling myself that I care even though I don't
55. double standards
56. getting angry to shut someone up instead of hearing them out because I know they have a point
57. Telling myself that I'll do something the next day, but use some sort of excuse to not to do it when the moment comes.
58. Thinking that I won't do 57 again
59. Doing something I don't like and don't have to do
60. Not doing something that I like and could do
61. Striking that exquisite balance of good and bad decisions to keep my life as it is, but then blame the lack of improvement on external factors
62. Time
63. Memories
64. Ignoring stuff that will produce low self esteem, instead of working on them or my beliefs about those things (Eg. Not being able to socialize)
65. Misjudging which task my is time better spent on
66. Blaming Lack of commitment on myself but not doing anything about it
67. Blaming myself for being a certain way but not doing anything about it
68. "I am not like people"
69. "It doesn't really matter"
70. Agreeing with someone but phrasing your response as if you didn't just agree
71. "I can't do this, I don't have time for it" but then doing tasks that waste time
72. Mistaking ignorance for self-deception just to complete this list, and not doing anything about it
73. Cutting corners because 54
74. Lying to people causing me to lie to myself about what I really want
75. Making estimates for my progress in the future instead of making progress. Eg. Dang if I read 20 pages a day I'll read 600 by the end of the month!
76. Explaining to someone why I am the victim in this situation (Even though I am not)
77. Exaggerating how I felt to guilt someone
78. Overestimating my own morality. "I am a good person"
79. Finding justifications but no counter arguments to a thing I wanna believe
80. Being sloppy with my worldview, knowing about it deep down, wanting to fix that, but being too lazy to do it
81. Waiting for external factors to tell me what to do
82. Waiting for external factors to do something, when there is no need to
83. Not doing anything about the things that I know I should do something about
84. "I am too conscious/developed for that"
85. "Haha look at these losers, I'll never do what they are doing"
86. "My future would go exactly how I imagine it to be!" even though I realize that isn't the case
87. Compromising where there is literally no need
88. Creating problems for myself, because 13, but ignoring the fact that I did so.
89. "He's wrong about this, I know better" when I know that it's probably the other way around
90. Defending my worldview, when I know from past experience I should be more open to change
91. Thinking I won't: "I'll wake up at 5 tmrw" At 5: "Meh, I'll sleep till 7, it doesn't really matter, 7 is still early"
92. Thinking it wasn't really my fault that I broke the promise. "If it wasn't for x, I'd have kept the promise!"
93. Thinking "I should do this" again and again but never doing it.
94. "I didn't do it for me! I did it for you!"
95. Worrying about my Reputation when there is no need
96. Making promises that I know deep down I'll most likely break
97. Saying Yes to the familiar and saying No the New, but then complaining about the monotony of life
98. "I am so amazing for completing this list and not being lazy!" even though I know this is just basic effort
99. Not making spiritual efforts and saying "I am just focusing on the Practical aspect of life for now, I'll be spiritual later!" when I know that stuff such as meditating are the most basic things you can do and spiritual efforts are usually intermixed with practical ones, just less intense when the focus is on the practical.
100. Not reading people's entire posts and skipping to the end thinking "I should read it", "This'll probably be insightful" "I don't have the time"(But then wasting the time you so saved)

[Sincerity]

@Swarnim Very nice!

[EternalForest]

@Lila9

On 1/23/2023 at 6:03 PM, Lila9 said:

I have the mental capacity to mention 10 only ?

1. Everything will be fine

2. People can easily change

3. I have a loooot of time to accomplish everything I want in this life

5. I will accomplish everything or nearly everything I want in this life (very strong into this delusion)

6. I don't need help or people around me, I perfectly can figure out things by myself

7. I don't have much to work on

8. Other people know and understand me as good as I know and understand myself

8. I will never be sick or dead

9. Today it will be a sugar-free day

10. I'm an alien who doesn't belong to the human species 

11. I'm good at counting from 1 to 10

12. I always keep my word

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be careful, some of those are actually really empowering and positive beliefs to have. You just have to be aware of when they cross over into self-deception, which is possible.