John’s Sunday Blog

Calm and Clear

We all know mammals: warm blooded, live birthing, milk producing beings. Outdated thinking supported the idea that all mammals, save humans, are like automatons, led by instinct alone with no ideas of what they are. In the old days, they were operated on without anesthesia with their reactions and screams explained away as simply automatic reactions for survival, not actual suffering. Well, we now know different. And how is it that they, the animals, have it so good since they have no sense of time, logic, or reasoning? Are they blissfully ignorant? Maybe not. Our minds comfort us with stories to get us through hard moments or struggle against them. They, on the other hand, experience the totality of whatever is happening, in the moment. Maybe this is why they, especially wild animals, seem so clear and majestic, cool and calm. They are showing us that generally, the present moment is benign, no calendars, due dates, just the passing of the light and movements of weather.

So what is this power we have that makes us different from them? It is the power of the prefrontal cortex? View it as a control center for your very own animal brain. It’s the filter for the wildness inherent in you. And, with it, one can direct one’s attention. You can focus on a thought, feeling, sensation, memory or plan, at will, it almost seems.

Now let’s ask the question: “What causes the most trouble in a human’s life?”

I’m going to say “confusion”. I say this because confusion is the opposite of clarity. Also, confusion brings tension and clarity brings calm; visa-versa for both. Look at how nature works. Get a jar, fill it with water, add a few spoons of fine dust, shake the jar and set it on the counter. It may take a few days but the water will clear if left alone, calm.

Obviously, nobody wants to be confused, but the world stage these days seems to just spread more confusion than ever. And avoidance/denial is just another protective mode of mind, causing more confusion within. So, what does one do? Use the higher brain to direct attention to more of the real than the imagined.

Surrender more to what is than what is thought about. You see, surrendering is not giving in, or quitting. It’s more of a remembrance of what is. And what is, is always just this. Yes, right where you are, sitting and reading. The light reflecting off objects around you, the air on your skin. Seems very ordinary to the mind because it’s raw, unfiltered existence. The mundane. A dirty word to the movers and shakers because it offers no security, fame or profit. Yet, isn’t the mundane where creativity is born? And how do you get creativity if you’re hustling a script that you didn’t even write?

If you want to be clear, and calm, embrace the moment. It is generally not confusing. Feel your feet, and the surface beneath, how still it is. There are many anchors to more peace like your breath, waving in and out. It’s what’s going on. Then, see how the mind looks at life. You’re born, journey along the tunnel of time, then die. Now if you’re forecasting along that line, it can be overwhelming/confusing. Simply shorten it to the day. Isn’t that how you got here anyway? One day, step, breath at a time.

With practice one can make many changes to find more calm and clarity. Embrace life back.

Back, yes, it’s been holding you all along.