It is important to take responsibility - where appropriate – when we do stupid things, make mistakes, and experience setbacks, accidents and misfortunes.
I know very well that becoming tired, stressed and overloaded is asking for trouble, so I do what I can to avoid getting into those states.
I do sometimes wonder though whether hostile unseen influences are also at work, subtly taking advantage when people are distracted or not functioning well. They do whatever they can to cause trouble, sabotage lives and damage their victims’ environments.
I have noticed that ideas that lead to trouble or even disaster sometimes slip into people’s minds. The man who had the ‘good idea’ of moving his daughters into the basement because bad weather was expected only for them to be drowned by flood water during the night, is an example of a very bad case.
Some much less serious examples from my own life come to mind. While I definitely need to take responsibility for getting so absorbed in reading or preoccupied with research that the real world disappears, so when forced to do something I deal with it with the back of my mind, other factors might be at work too..
On one occasion, I was immersed in a book; I became aware very slowly and dimly that something wasn’t quite right. There was a faint smell that I automatically and mistakenly assumed to be medicinal; an inner voice told me that it was just the vapour balm that I had been using for a cough.
Eventually, I came down to earth and realised what was happening: I had not replaced the lid of a bottle of nail varnish remover properly, the bottle had tilted on its side and the liquid was ebbing away. I was too late to save most of it. It was definitely my fault for not putting the top on properly and for not immediately investigating the source of the smell, but I was misled by that small voice.
Another incident happened at a time when I was very worried about an impending dental appointment. I decided to get into bed early and distract myself by reading escapist fiction for an hour or two. After a while, I thought I would make myself a cup of apple & pear flavoured tea to try to make myself feel better. I remembered that I had some delicious chocolate left, and decided to have some as a treat. I brought the tea and chocolate, put them next to my bed and resumed reading.
I drank some tea, then looked for the chocolate - it was a wrapped finger. I couldn't see it anywhere. I decided I must have imagined bringing it and that it was probably still in the kitchen. I could not see it lying there, so got another one and ate that.
The next morning, I found that my pyjamas and sheets were covered in melted chocolate! The wrapper was squashed flat and wide open. One small bar can make a lot of mess. I must have been wallowing in it all night. I am not sure how it slipped inside my bed, but if I had only trusted my memory and looked harder I might have avoided a minor disaster.
I know that I do stupid things when I am very worried, but the little voice told me that I must have imagined that I brought the chocolate. People with vivid imaginations do sometimes have trouble determining what happened in real life and what took place in the inner world only.
The worst example of sabotage by inner demons involved a ruined woollen rug. I had been doing a lot of research, following many trails; I was completely absorbed, if not obsessed: I was concentrating on digging up information to the exclusion of everything else. I dealt with everyday domestic things with the back of my mind, feeling very resentful because of having to drag myself away from my fascinating investigations. I hated having to cope with and spare the time for mundane activities.
I became dimly aware that my hot-water bottle might be leaking. The inner demons told me that perhaps I had overfilled it or not put the stopper in properly and that I should be careful not to lie on it. I accepted all that and gave it no more thought.
I lost track of passing time. When I eventually came out of the trance and back down to earth, I noticed a faint, mushroomy smell. I realised that I had a big problem to deal with. As a test, I filled the hot water bottle and squeezed it, and a narrow jet of water shot out of one side! The bottle really had been leaking.
I know very well that becoming tired, stressed and overloaded is asking for trouble, so I do what I can to avoid getting into those states.
I do sometimes wonder though whether hostile unseen influences are also at work, subtly taking advantage when people are distracted or not functioning well. They do whatever they can to cause trouble, sabotage lives and damage their victims’ environments.
I have noticed that ideas that lead to trouble or even disaster sometimes slip into people’s minds. The man who had the ‘good idea’ of moving his daughters into the basement because bad weather was expected only for them to be drowned by flood water during the night, is an example of a very bad case.
Some much less serious examples from my own life come to mind. While I definitely need to take responsibility for getting so absorbed in reading or preoccupied with research that the real world disappears, so when forced to do something I deal with it with the back of my mind, other factors might be at work too..
On one occasion, I was immersed in a book; I became aware very slowly and dimly that something wasn’t quite right. There was a faint smell that I automatically and mistakenly assumed to be medicinal; an inner voice told me that it was just the vapour balm that I had been using for a cough.
Eventually, I came down to earth and realised what was happening: I had not replaced the lid of a bottle of nail varnish remover properly, the bottle had tilted on its side and the liquid was ebbing away. I was too late to save most of it. It was definitely my fault for not putting the top on properly and for not immediately investigating the source of the smell, but I was misled by that small voice.
Another incident happened at a time when I was very worried about an impending dental appointment. I decided to get into bed early and distract myself by reading escapist fiction for an hour or two. After a while, I thought I would make myself a cup of apple & pear flavoured tea to try to make myself feel better. I remembered that I had some delicious chocolate left, and decided to have some as a treat. I brought the tea and chocolate, put them next to my bed and resumed reading.
I drank some tea, then looked for the chocolate - it was a wrapped finger. I couldn't see it anywhere. I decided I must have imagined bringing it and that it was probably still in the kitchen. I could not see it lying there, so got another one and ate that.
The next morning, I found that my pyjamas and sheets were covered in melted chocolate! The wrapper was squashed flat and wide open. One small bar can make a lot of mess. I must have been wallowing in it all night. I am not sure how it slipped inside my bed, but if I had only trusted my memory and looked harder I might have avoided a minor disaster.
I know that I do stupid things when I am very worried, but the little voice told me that I must have imagined that I brought the chocolate. People with vivid imaginations do sometimes have trouble determining what happened in real life and what took place in the inner world only.
The worst example of sabotage by inner demons involved a ruined woollen rug. I had been doing a lot of research, following many trails; I was completely absorbed, if not obsessed: I was concentrating on digging up information to the exclusion of everything else. I dealt with everyday domestic things with the back of my mind, feeling very resentful because of having to drag myself away from my fascinating investigations. I hated having to cope with and spare the time for mundane activities.
I became dimly aware that my hot-water bottle might be leaking. The inner demons told me that perhaps I had overfilled it or not put the stopper in properly and that I should be careful not to lie on it. I accepted all that and gave it no more thought.
I lost track of passing time. When I eventually came out of the trance and back down to earth, I noticed a faint, mushroomy smell. I realised that I had a big problem to deal with. As a test, I filled the hot water bottle and squeezed it, and a narrow jet of water shot out of one side! The bottle really had been leaking.
I found that water had gone through onto a beautiful woollen rug. The rug was damp in places; one area was coming apart and had some black mould. I tried to save it, but it was too late: everything I did, such as hanging it in sunlight, using vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and washing it in my bath, only made it worse. I had to throw it away.
I was very angry with myself. The rug was perfect for my flat; it was in light to dark shades of turquoise. I remembered getting it for half price in the Habitat sale. I had to go to a side door to collect it. I passed the time by reading some amusing graffiti:
“Habitat – shabby tat” and:
“I’ve been waiting here too long-i-tat”
I have only myself to blame for the disaster, but I still have the idea that hostile forces take advantage of people who are not mentally present or not able to deal effectively with their affairs. This is the saboteurs’ big chance.
This is a very similar rug to the one that I ruined:
