Living Life Levels, Episode 1

Living Life Levels

Life Level Examples, Both Real and Fictitious

Linus Van Pelt

Life Level 3

Linus Van Pelt has an undying devotion to the Great Pumpkin -- a being which, he says, comes out on Halloween night to give candy and gifts to the good little boys and girls who believe in him. Not the belief itself, but rather the reasons and causes for his belief show us that Linus is a prime example of Life Level 3.

How do we know he operates at Life Level 3 (LL3)? Well, we can rule-out LL0 since he is able to think coherently and isn't some sort of raving lunatic. We know he is not LL1 because he does not believe in the Great Pumpkin for personal, selfish gain. Though he wants the Great Pumpkin to appear and give candy and gifts to him and others like him, this desire is not the primary source for his belief, enthusiasm, or actions regarding the Great Pumpkin, or anything else for that matter. And unlike an LL2 person, there is no popular trend, or anything anyone (be it his friend Charlie Brown, his sister Lucy, or his would-be girlfriend Sally) can say that can make him believe or disbelieve in the Great Pumpkin's existance. Linus' beliefs are self-sustained, and nothing can affect them except Linus alone. Life Level 3 has this advantage over LLs 2 and below, making him a generally better and happier person than he would otherwise be. He has his beliefs and he is sticking to them, come Hell or high water.

Though sometimes "Hell or high water" are exactly what we need to align our paradigms with Reality, with what is actually true. It would be best, of course, if it didn't have to come to such drastic measures; if instead we could be fluid enough to match our beliefs with what's real. If we want to be happier and operate in a better way than LL3, we can choose to drop all preconceptions, biases, and beliefs and leap fearlessly into real truth, whatever and wherever it might be. Linus is given the opportunity to do this many times, but any consideration that the Great Pumpkin could possibly be a figment of his imagination is appalling to him, and once he even shouts at Charlie Brown for suggesting it. Life Level 4 is all about being open to all possibilities, giving everything a chance to be good or true, and dropping all prejudices, preconceptions, and biases. It is willing to be wrong at the drop of a hat, and earnestly seeks for truth, no matter the cost or the change required in one's paradigm. Linus is not willing to do that, so we can assess that operates squarely in LL3.

What thoughts or beliefs or ethical codes are you afraid to question? What "Great Pumpkins" do you have? If it's a true belief, then there should be no problem questioning it, but you must look on every side of it honestly, earnestly, and with the same sort of strictness you would use on an idea you may not like, or think is false. Run everything unbiasedly through the same tests, and don't hold back what you hope to be true out of fear of it being false, because real truth will sustain itself, and you'll be immeasurably better off for holding to actual truth. Research, dig deep, think it through thoroughly, and then, as Mar in Light of Ar puts it, always be ready to eat your own beliefs.

And soon enough, you'll discover that Reality is a lot cooler than the Great Pumpkin could ever be.