Inquisitive Report 38/52

Week Ending October 19th, 2018

Content Covered: Presence

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Just as money does not represent the perishability and edibility of food so words and thoughts do not represent the vitality of life. – Alan Watts

Recently, I have been putting a bit of conscientious effort into evaluating how many of my thoughts are actually about the past or the future; overwhelmingly, the answer is more than the majority. So I’ve taken it as a challenge to catch myself when doing so and encourage myself to come back to the present – to this moment. Here and now.

Sounds simple enough, and yet it’s quite difficult to do. In the last book that I read by Alan Watts, he mentions that: when each moment becomes an expectation life is deprived of fulfillment.

At first, quite like a koan I thought understanding what he is saying can be interpreted through literally changing or limiting the kinds of expectations I have from life, but rather, when I sat with this phrase for a bit longer I realized that at the heart of what is being asked is “presence”.

Staying here, at this moment, in this very moment of time isn’t just an ask, but an essential requirement. “To be” isn’t just a verb that describes some form of action; it’s a state of being that opens up a new realm of understanding.

And yet I’m guilty of it too – even right now at this moment as I type up this line. I’m guilty of believing that if I phrase the concepts well enough, perhaps I will be able to explain to you the notion of ‘being’ – but my assumption is flawed. The only way you can understand is if you experience it yourself.

This is why I believe in experiential learning. Experiential learning allows you, for a moment to step out of the theoretical argument in support of a topic and experience what it feels like to embody the concepts.

Since I can’t be there with you physically, I urge you to take a few moments today to be.

Oh I wonder what you will find…