#417 Appreciating & Even Prioritizing QUALITY - Stillness & Silence

     How does it feel when we're about to do something that gives us a quick fix - like eating a chocolate bar (instead of a healthy snack) when we're hungry, or rushing a job to get it over & done with (instead of doing it with appropriate care)? Isn't there a building momentum to approach & complete the act, as if starting to descend from the highest point on a roller coaster, or as if pulled by a powerful magnet?
     When we're being self-centered, grasping for "short-term gains" - we're much like addicts reaching for their addictive substance of choice - big pull, brief elation, big let-down, and we're worse off, knowing we've just added to our own (plus likely our loved ones') "long-term pains".

     In contrast, how does it feel when we're about to do something that's not about us, but for the long-term benefit of others? When we're about to do the right thing? There's no momentum, no magnetic effect. We make wise, mature decisions from a place of stillness, a place of silence. We can feel this stillness.

     Isn't it sad that we become addicted to the "excitement" of brief highs, despite, & even because of their brevity, inevitability of crashing & other hangovers? Why does it take so long for us to let go of cheap thrills? We seem to have to gradually, intentionally learn to appreciate, and very slowly prioritize, peace & mature judgment.
     Quality is a very slowly acquired taste for most of us. Mindfulness practice is a direct way of increasing the pace of this critical - yet mysteriously avoided - experiential learning. Of course we still have prioritize this practice over our habitual momentum-driven distractions.

     See: http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/10/self-concepts-sense-of-momentum-or.html
     and: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/10/uncomfortable-being-still.html 

#394 Biofeedback - Monitoring our Consciousness

     We know how it feels when we're bright and alert - there's a distinct fresh, vibrant physical / mental / emotional feel associated with it. We can therefore recognize when our consciousness is optimal AND ALSO when it's suboptimal eg when we're drowsy, or falling asleep. It's useful to detect a downward fluctuation in consciousness as early as possible eg while driving, performing surgery, landing an airplane, writing an exam, speaking with someone, studying, etc. It's also beneficial to recognize when our level of consciousness is excessive ie after too much caffeine, anxious, stressed, striving, hypervigilant, catastrophizing etc. So we can monitor the level of our consciousness, and with practice, adjust it when need be (like a rheostat) to the optimal level.
     We also know how it feels when we're calm, attentive, wise, kind, behaving in a civilized manner. We feel relaxed, open-minded and open-hearted. We know the feel of the quality of our consciousness. Our prefrontal cortex is fully functioning, and our judgments and behaviour are congruent with our core values, long-term goals, and in concert with the best interests of humanity & nature. This feels good and profoundly right.
     And we can all, more frequently & easily than we realize, lapse into fear-based reactivity, into autopilot (brain stem takes over from the prefrontal cortex). We know we're on autopilot, because "the lights are on, but nobody's home." We feel "driven" - as if we're running after or away from something, there may be lots of adrenalin or a trance-like dullness - we feel closed-minded and closed-hearted. It's all about short-term gain for "me, myself & I" - no consideration for others or even our own long-term interests. This quality of consciousness feels all wrong. We've experienced this many times before & know that it causes only suffering. We can let this go, open our minds & hearts, re-engage our prefrontal cortex, and get back on track.
     So we can & should monitor both the level and the quality of our consciousness. We alone can, and must, manage our own consciousness for the benefit of all.

In Kentville, Nova Scotia