#257 Resolution, Resolve, Commitment, Vow

     Changing the course of your life in a more meaningful direction, toward greater authenticity, is entirely doable and entirely in your own hands. Who else knows the depths of your own being better than you? Who else makes choices every single moment? Who else receives moment-by-moment feedback re how the last decision made you feel?

     Just do it! Moment-by-moment choices add up to momentous change in quality of life for all. 

Blackboard & Graphics by P. Michael Lovas, Mandy Wintink & Sam Kennedy

#256 We Can & Must Keep Moving Forward

     “happiness is a skill that can be trained. That training begins with deep insight into mind, emotion, and our experience of phenomena, which then facilitates practices that maximize our inner well-being at a deep level, ultimately creating a sustainable happiness and compassion.”

       Tan C-M. Search inside yourself. The unexpected path to achieving success, happiness (and world peace). HarperCollins, NY, 2012.       NOTE: the author is Google's celebrated engineer & "jolly good fellow" Meng.

New Brunswick artist - Ghita Levin Pottery www.ghitalevinpottery.ca

#255 Why Do Formal Sitting Meditation Practice?

     “Once one has tasted the practice for oneself, the motivation is very likely to be there to extend the time of formal practice, not to achieve a special state, but to simply rest in awareness itself, outside of time altogether. This is the practice of non-doing, of openhearted presencing, of pure awareness, coextensive with and inseparable from compassion. It is not an escape from life. On the contrary, the practice of mindfulness is a gateway into the experience of interconnectedness and interdependence out of which stem emotionally intelligent actions, new ways of being, and ultimately greater happiness, clarity, wisdom, and kindness – at work and in the world.”               Jon Kabat-Zinn

       Tan C-M. Search inside yourself. The unexpected path to achieving success, happiness (and world peace). HarperCollins, NY, 2012. 

Pablo Picasso's Child with a Dove

#254 From Self-Centeredness to Wisdom, Joy & Happiness

     "Meditative awareness is more akin to hearing well than seeing clearly. When looking intently at a visual object, we tend to aim a narrow beam of attention onto something outside of ourselves. But when we listen mindfully, we open our awareness in all directions in order to receive the sounds that pour in. Just as one develops a meditative ability to discern ever subtler tones and harmonies in this polyphony, so one can refine an empathic ability to detect ever finer nuances in the other's plea. As the deafening chatter of self-centeredness subsides, one recovers that silence wherein one hears more sharply the cries of the world."

        Batchelor S. “Living with the devil. A meditation on good and evil.” Riverhead Books, NY, 2004. www.stephenbatchelor.org

 

     Self-centeredness reliably generates suffering for self & others, while letting go of "self-clinging" and wisely opening up to caring for others and the environment generates joy for self & others. While inherently ethical, this is first & foremost an experiential fact of life. So if you take happiness seriously, you really should consciously experiment, moment-to-moment, with shifting your energies (thoughts, words & actions) from ego-centricity to allo- & ecocentricity. This is also happens to be the basic definition of wisdom.

 

Not one of these boxes contains happiness

 

#253 Others' Behavior - Compared to Our Past Behavior

     It's interesting, challenging, and humblingly disturbing to notice others' inappropriate behavior, only to realize that our own was VERY similar not so many years ago - and still remains under duress. Are we individuals not somewhat like the white blood cells circulating in the bloodstream of a multicellular organism? We're here briefly. We have individual strengths & weaknesses - a job to do, and areas in which we need help. Yet our identity is really that of the whole organism - the universe (the common good).

      "an emerging consensus suggests that three important dimensions of wisdom involve recognizing that the world is in flux and the future is likely to change, recognizing that there are limits associated with one’s own knowledge, and possessing a prosocial orientation that promotes the 'common good.'
      A common feature of these different dimensions of wisdom is that they require people to transcend their egocentric viewpoints to take the 'big picture' into account and reason holistically."
        Kross E, Grossmann I. Boosting wisdom: Distance from the self enhances wise reasoning, attitudes, and behavior. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 2012; 141(1): 43-48.

 

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Dec 27, 2012

 

#252 Double-check perspective before judging

"YOU ARE NOT STUCK
IN TRAFFIC,
YOU ARE TRAFFIC"             billboard in BC

We each are part of the problem,
and potentially, part of the solution.

To the degree that we can let go of our own blockages,
we'll create less unnecessary suffering, and
our natural wisdom & energy can flow to heal & inspire.

Photo: P. Michael Lovas

#251 Is Stress-free Living a Reasonable Aspiration?

     Many times one hears that people want to minimize stress in their lives - to live hassle-free. People attempt to achieve this by going along with, instead of confronting people / things with which they disagree. This can range from inconsequential taste preferences all the way to the most serious immoral / illegal / criminal acts. Where does one draw the line on this slippery slope?
     There are 2 main responses to stress - approach vs avoidance. The healthy response to a morally / legally acceptable challenge outside of one's "comfort zone", is approach - accepting & adapting to this new level of functioning, akin to a muscle having to grow in order to become used to weightlifting. Humans adapt not just physically, but completely, including evolving their self-concept (eg new sense of agency) & worldview.
     The unhealthy response to any challenge is avoidance - pretending it's not happening or otherwise try to avoid dealing with it eg substance abuse, other distraction methods. Here the individual tries to remain the same (self-concept & worldview), despite the constantly changing environment. Of course individuals who do this still change - they become more rigid (less psychologically flexible) and progressively less capable of responding in a healthy, functional manner to the ever-changing environment. Essentially, there's a devolution of consciousness, self-concept & worldview.
     Our every thought, word, and deed rewires our brains and bodies to become more and more skilled at what we habitually practice, be it playing the piano, daydreaming, or telling lies. Our moment-to-moment choices CREATE our present AND future.

Matthew Richardson   New York Times