Hi Vineeto,
It seems I failed to draw a mental demarcation between how things operate in the actual world and the real world.
Of course everyone except the few free people are influenced by that power.
I was surprised when I looked for an answer and saw that I had overlooked that. In overlooking, I have also overlooked the influence of such forces on myself (as well as exerted by myself). It’s as though I have taken on the non-existence of power as a belief, despite being still influenced by it myself.
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Last night I went to a rock show with the intent of watching myself closely. I experienced the usual waves of anxiety with being in public and interacting with a lot of people, but was able to keep my hands in my pockets. After awhile, I realized that I was telling all sorts of stories about what was happening between people, and between myself and them. I really believed the stories, but when I looked closer I realized that they weren’t founded in anything concrete. It’s like I was playing ‘house’ with imaginary dolls in real-time.
Around the same time I realized that I was quite hungry and tired of standing at the show, so I left early. As I left, I could see very starkly that there was nothing ultimately better about being at the show as compared to anywhere else. I remember thinking that it was like I was looking at the actual ‘star-dust’ that everything is made of, rather than building out a narrative based on relative values. There was a solidity and purity to everything.
I’m feeling quite encouraged by this experience. Thank you @Vineeto for challenging me on these things.