Fifteen Minutes of Emptiness
We live in an overscheduled world. Every minute must be filled with something, every moment accounted for. Are we living as fully as we can? Are we busy? Can we prove we’re doing something with our time? Do we have an excuse to not do something we don’t want to do because there’s something better going on?
We’re afraid of emptiness. Of actively sitting back and letting our mind wander. We’re afraid of finding out we’re actually hollow inside, that we’re nothing more than packaged images from the television and sound bites from politicians. But the more we run from introspection, the more we need it.
Introspection doesn’t mean that we sit there and beat ourselves up for what we have or haven’t done in our lives. It’s not a time to be self-critical, but instead a time to be self-reflective. It’s a skill many of us aren’t quite sure what to do with. After all, if we look at ourselves, we may find something we don’t like. And what do we do then? Introspection can be quite scary, when we’re not sure what we’re going to find.
On the other hand, whatever it is we’re afraid to see already exists. We are what we are, and the longer we keep from facing ourselves honestly, the longer it is that we may be something we’d rather not exist as. Whatever we are already exists. The question is whether or not we can face it. And, certainly, if what we are is something so terrible we cannot face it, it is also something we should not be anyway, and need to learn to change.
“But I don’t have the time.” We do have the time. We just fill up our time with stuff so we don’t have to fill it with thought. We crave and consume entertainment as though we cannot find fulfillment and interest in our own minds. And as long as we fill up our minds with other things, we keep from seeing ourselves.
Take fifteen minutes of emptiness, and learn to meet yourself.
Questions:
Do you know who you are? Do you like who you see?
What does emptiness mean to you? Stillness? Is it a concept you can deal with?
What are the advantages of taking this time? The disadvantages? How do they look to you?
We’re afraid of emptiness. Of actively sitting back and letting our mind wander. We’re afraid of finding out we’re actually hollow inside, that we’re nothing more than packaged images from the television and sound bites from politicians. But the more we run from introspection, the more we need it.
Introspection doesn’t mean that we sit there and beat ourselves up for what we have or haven’t done in our lives. It’s not a time to be self-critical, but instead a time to be self-reflective. It’s a skill many of us aren’t quite sure what to do with. After all, if we look at ourselves, we may find something we don’t like. And what do we do then? Introspection can be quite scary, when we’re not sure what we’re going to find.
On the other hand, whatever it is we’re afraid to see already exists. We are what we are, and the longer we keep from facing ourselves honestly, the longer it is that we may be something we’d rather not exist as. Whatever we are already exists. The question is whether or not we can face it. And, certainly, if what we are is something so terrible we cannot face it, it is also something we should not be anyway, and need to learn to change.
“But I don’t have the time.” We do have the time. We just fill up our time with stuff so we don’t have to fill it with thought. We crave and consume entertainment as though we cannot find fulfillment and interest in our own minds. And as long as we fill up our minds with other things, we keep from seeing ourselves.
Take fifteen minutes of emptiness, and learn to meet yourself.
Questions:
Do you know who you are? Do you like who you see?
What does emptiness mean to you? Stillness? Is it a concept you can deal with?
What are the advantages of taking this time? The disadvantages? How do they look to you?
posted by Vieva @ 10:23 AM
2 Comments:
At 11:59 AM,
Vieva said…
I really think you're going to need to schedule it. It's so easy to have time just slip away and have it disappear.
schedule it .. for when you're awake. :)
At 2:09 PM,
Anonymous said…
Part of my Feri training is supposed to be a daily meditational exercise -- sitting. In which one basically sits, breathes, and listens to the thoughts that rattle around and accepts that, yup, they're there.
I'm not as consistent about it as I ought to be, but the idea's there. (I do other daily exercises consistently, at least.)
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