Home
>
Spirituality
>
Are you Addicted to ?NO?? Locating the YES! of the Heart

Are you Addicted to ?NO?? Locating the YES! of the Heart

It seems to me that our moment to moment relationship to Life can basically be reduced to a 'YES' or a 'NO'. Let me explain?

This moment and everything in it, IS as it IS, ALREADY. Everything already IS as it IS, even before we have an opinion about HOW it is. Everything IS as it IS, independent of how we think or feel about how it is. This understanding can be summarized in the statement "What IS, simply IS!" This does not mean we must desire or even like 'What IS', only that resistance to 'What IS', is futile. Saying 'NO' to what already IS, is useless resistance, is insane, and even absurd. But we do it anyway. Don't we? Why?

I would suggest part of the reason lies in that when we were very young, we learned that our 'NO' can effect the moments that are about to happen. While our 'NO' does become part of the next moment, it cannot otherwise change the moment that already IS, because? well? it already IS! But our 'NO' can influence and affect the moments that are about to unfold (and sometimes in the manner we desire).

I'm sitting in my highchair as a baby, mom pushing in the pabulum well past the point of full, now flowing over gums, hands, and bib, a pre-verbal inner resistance arises, hands flailing and pushing against, mouth clamping shut, face scrunching up, head turning away, squealing (like a baby)?and finally ?finally mom understands the unspoken yet unmistakable NO that is being conveyed by my sounds and actions, and she finally relents?

We have just learned the power of our 'NO'. And what a power it is. For in our 'NO' lies the power of changing the future. With our 'NO' we say, "I will not allow 'how it is' to continue", and we can begin to take action and move towards 'how it might be'. We start by using our 'NO' to affect our lives, by taking action determined by our desire for things to be other than they are, here and now.

But then we get completely carried away. We become 'NO' addicts and we start to apply our 'NO' where it doesn't belong. We do not simply use our 'NO' to effect change of the future, but instead use our 'NO' in places and situations where it is not only useless, but also harmful. Most often our 'NO' is simply an unconscious and ineffective resistance to WHAT ALREADY IS. Saying 'NO' to WHAT ALREADY IS, is in any other words, simply suffering. A 'NO' without action is simply complaining.

The most common form of useless 'NO' is our unconscious habitual mental chatter. "I wish things weren't like this" "This is so unfair" "Things shouldn't be like this" "Why me?" "I hate this". But that is just the beginning. Our useless mental 'NO' affects us emotionally creating an emotional 'NO' in the form of resistance or closure to feelings. "I' don't want to feel this" "This hurts too much " "I can't stand feeling like this".

When this emotional 'NO' also become unconscious and habitual, we are shut down to not only our emotional pain, but also to our joy as well. This emotional 'NO' then becomes a physical 'NO' where we are physically resisting and contracting, living in a state of tension and stress. We hold our breath as 'NO' to avoid feeling. We avoid eye contact as 'NO' to avoid vulnerability. We zone out, daydream, distract ourselves and live on auto-pilot as 'NO' to avoid REALITY. Half alive, half awake, habitually resisting 'What IS' by thinking and feeling 'NO', we sleepily stumble toward our death.

In short, we live our lives in a state of unconscious and habitual mental, emotional, and physical resistance, avoidance, and denial in the shape of our 'NO'. OUCH! What to do?

Start by noticing: EVERYTHING IS as it IS, however it is. Say 'YES' to 'What IS' and simply acknowledge 'What IS' as it is. Notice that EVERYTHING IS as it IS, however it is. Feel 'YES' to 'What IS' and simply accept 'What IS' as it is. Feel the 'YES' especially in your chest in the Heart area. Feel 'Yes' in your Heart, and simply embrace the IS-NESS of 'What IS'', whatever is. Now deepen your 'YES' through your body/mind, allowing this verbal feeling 'YES' to shine on everything. With practice one can establish and maintain contact with 'YES'! in all moments.

As you move through the days and nights of the changing seasons and cycles of your Life, dive deeply into the Heart of Reality, which is always just as it IS, no matter HOW it is.

Now do this the rest of your Life. Acknowledge, accept, and embrace everything as it IS. Say and feel 'YES' to 'What IS'. Anything else is suffering.

Aaron McNaught is the owner and service provider of a Red Deer based company called: Aaron McNaught Education/Consultations. He offers varied and unique approaches to Healing, Growth, and Life Exploration. As a personal consultant, Aaron specializes in working with anger, grief, stress, and addiction, and in assisting individuals to restore meaning to their life.

Aaron's main passion is Public Speaking. Drawing upon the gifts of his words and his presence he reminds people of their Enormity and Magnificence. He describes himself as a 'Wake-up Artist', which means he helps people remember or 'Wake-up' to who they truly are, beyond stories and descriptions.

Aaron is the author of a forthcoming book, entitled, Waking Up to Life: Celebrating the Graces of Suffering and Awareness.

He lives in Red Deer Alberta Canada and can be reached at wakingup@shaw.ca

tidy up service Northbrook ..

In The News:

ETA sharing on Apple Maps and Google Maps keeps contacts updated automatically while you drive safely. Learn step-by-step instructions for iPhone and Android.

Data removal from brokers protects against AI-powered scams and deepfake threats in 2026. Learn how data brokers sell your personal information to scammers.

Learn how to act against cybercriminals in 2026 with essential security steps like two-factor authentication, software updates and credit freezing.

Choose between OpenAI releasing Sora text-to-video model, the AI race heating up, or Waymo driverless cars launching in cities across the country

Learn how to set up Google Maps and Apple Maps on your phone to automatically remember where you parked. Step-by-step instructions for enabling location services and parking detection.

Phishing scammers use rnicrosoft.com domain to impersonate Microsoft by replacing "m" with "rn" in typosquatting attacks that steal login credentials.

OpenAI announces new teen safety rules for ChatGPT users under 18, blocking romantic roleplay and requiring extra caution on body image topics.

A 2025 data breach at fintech company 700Credit exposes personal information of more than 5.8 million people through compromised third-party integration partner.

Retailers lose $76.5 billion annually to return fraud as nearly 10% of U.S. retail returns involve fraudulent activity, with $850 billion in returns expected in 2025.

ShinyHunters claims responsibility for stealing 94GB of Pornhub user data affecting over 200 million records and demands Bitcoin ransom.

ChatGPT 2025 now connects to Apple Music, Canva, Expedia, TripAdvisor and OpenTable through built-in apps that help users create playlists, design graphics and more.

Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.

DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.

Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Are you Addicted to ?NO?? Locating the YES! of the Heart

Spirituality