shields

Much of total reality is not seen, most of the time we are oblivious to it,
in our ordinary lives, because we have protective shields.
We have consuming interests that engage all our awareness.
We are permanently worried about our station, our possessions.
These shields, however, do not keep reality away,
they keep us simply from seeing it directly,
protecting us in this way from getting hurt by the fright of seeing the balls of fire hitting us.
Shields are a great help and a great hindrance to us.
They pacify us and at the same time fool us.
They give us a false sense of security."
C. Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan

Shields are blocks, however, the shield is necessary to prevent us from realizing everything, all dangers around us. If we were to see total reality (i.e. all dangers and problems) we would probably go mad. On the other hand if we are not aware of the shield we will always see only part of reality, we shall pick out the part we want to see or are used to seeing. Total awareness is a dangerous field and one should embark on this voyage with due caution. Creativeness is such an aspect. The point is therefore to prepare well by using techniques and evaluating the process carefully (cf. cybernetics). Otherwise one will find oneself stranded on an unknown shore surrounded by alien and hostile surroundings. In learning this we should try to share our experiences with like-wise minded people.

Creativity = Comparing and learning from differences