The highest form of intelligence is the ability to observe without evaluating.” Jiddu Krishnamurti
“It’s funny how, in this journey of life, even though we may begin at different times and places, our paths cross with others so that we may share our love, compassion, observations, and hope. This is a design of God that I appreciate and cherish.” Steve Maraboli
“To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” Marilyn Vos Savant
Has anyone ever wondered about whether the dream state is real or the waking state in the morning is the true life? It is weird when we have a vivid dream and feel like it actually could have happened. What arouses my curiosity is the fact that we go about our business everyday thinking we are accomplishing so much and living so much. Now I question if we are living at all or simply traveling in an enclosed dream-like state.
So many times it is safer and easier to “get things done.” At the end of a day we can show all of our accomplishments. Nobody really cares except us. We feel complete and go to bed and begin again the next day. I question if that is life and what might really be expected of us. From the beginning we are taught to do our jobs, listen, learn and don’t waste time. Are we giving any time to reflecting on what we are doing? Many times I feel so caught up in tasks that perhaps what matters most is lost in the multitude of jobs.
As much as we invent more technology, we are further lost in a maze of false reality. We appear to have less time for the meaningful items as we venture forth to complete what we planned to do on any given day. Is completing jobs what it has come down to? Are we any more aware of what we are doing than the hamster in the cage? If we are told to think something over at work, so many of us are uneasy and squirming in our seats. We are likely thinking, we don’t have time to just reflect. The scary thing is that maybe that is what we all should be doing.
Is it any wonder that so much pain and hurt has been at the hands of those who don’t think about what they are doing. With more gadgets there is less time given to our own brain’s ability to work things out with reflection. Our minds also have the added ability to figure in a dose of emotional input which we have not yet been able to insert into a man-made device. Without the human touch, reflection is lost. I know I don’t want to have a world run by computers.
Perhaps our reasoning is becoming weaker and our emotions too relaxed. As they say, all of the stimulation on television about hurting others and treating others with disdain appears to be producing a thoughtless breed of people who are more and more robotic. The fascination with technology is taking over every free moment of our time. Less attention is being given to those around us who count for so much more. It is sad to be unable to put a device down in the presence of real people. Now if we ask ourselves about the dream state or the wide awake state we might be unable to distinguish between the two.
It is amusing that humans have the capacity to do so much and care so much yet we take things for granted and destroy the good in so many items and relationships. Our lack of attention may bring down a lot of worthwhile relationships. Sometimes I sense that we must wake ourselves up from a mindless wandering. I don’t want to give so much of my attention to trivial tasks, at the expense of soul-searching. It is a unbalancing agitation that makes one sense they have forgotten to do something. In a way we do forget what counts.
Human interactions of empathy kindness and love wipe away anger fear loneliness and distrust. We underestimate the power of a smile or kind word. So much emphasis is placed on what we can do, that we forget how human qualities can accomplish so much more as they move the mind-body and spirit. Focusing more on our souls health perhaps will spill over into our homes’, communities’ and world’s health. If this sounds strange to anyone, probably it is due to the fact that our spiritual needs have long been overlooked.
If we pretend that our waking life is all there is then we are blocking out truth. We may want to see what is in front of us but there is so much more that we have covered our eyes from seeing. Perhaps the fascination with false extraneous objects has clouded our minds. Truth can be found if we look beneath the surface of our lives. Those aha moments lead us to undertaking on a deeper level. What is important becomes more obvious to us. All of the frills and extraneous trappings of our lives fall by the wayside as we view our surroundings with new eyes.
For me it is like waking up. When we go through our day accomplishing tasks without reflection, we are not aware of our lives. No wonder we are shocked at the pace of our lives and the swift passing of our lives. We perhaps are role-playing more than living. Attuning ourselves to our surroundings and becoming aware of everyone and everything is a necessary objective if we are to reach our goals.
Improving our spiritual selves takes time and effort. If we have no time and give it no effort we are locked in a stalemate. Observing life in all of its forms brings enlightenment in every way. We are so much more than the worker at the store or the teacher or hairdresser. None of us is stuck in any form of a name. The power we have is beyond belief. Learning to value what is important is a paramount goal. Once we do this our lives lighten up and we see and understand beyond what our eyes behold. We suddenly become aware of living a more purposeful life.
“What is important is not what you hear said, it’s what you observe.” Michael Connelly
“It is only with the heart that one can see clearly.
What is essential is invisible to the eye.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery“Remember yourself. Deep inside, you have an observer, a constant neutral witness to your posture, gesture, facial expression, breathing, taste, impressions of light and sound. Don’t leap to interpret. Just be there and observe.” Jonathan Price
“Ignorant people see life as either existence or non-existence, but wise men see it beyond both existence and non-existence to something that transcends them both; this is an observation of the Middle Way.” Lucius Annaeus Senrca
