It’s odd the journeys we take in life. The twists and turns and where we end up. My life has practically gone full circle in some regards. Back to the basics if you will. I took my late teen years and early 20’s to study Buddhist teachings and philosophy. Recently I’ve started to embrace meditation and mindfulness once again. I’ve been using Sam Harris’s Waking Up app to keep me accountable. His sessions are only 10 minutes long which is a little short but gets me to sit.
In the past, I would sit for half an hour each day before work in the morning in silence. Doing guided meditations is a little different, but Sam teaches Vipassana (Insight) Meditation, which is similar to Zazen which I used to practice. I used to be attached to the idea of Zen and wanting to embody that in my daily life. Now it’s more about being aware of my mind and the nature of consciousness. Experiencing each moment as fully as possible. I don’t care what you call it.
I feel like I’m actively trying to combat what feels like a war for my mind. A war for my attention. Netflix, Facebook, xBox, HBO, everything is trying to take my attention and my consciousness. I feel like I am being hacked. I feel like there are machine learning algorithms that know me better than I know myself. They know how to feed me the right amount of dopamine to get me to act. To feed this addiction… this addiction to not be bored. This addiction to fill each moment with something.
As the sage old saying goes, know thyself. I think maybe it’s time to stop running on autopilot. Letting exterior circumstances and unwelcome information infect my consciousness. It’s time to make a choice to invest in my own mind. Bring into my consciousness that which serves the highest version of myself. Quit reading useless click bait articles there to only feed a need to be in the know.There are much better ways to spend ones time.
Enjoying nature. The beach. The fresh air. Reading that enhances your life. Spend time being present with others. Practicing Yoga. Moving the body. Eating nutritionally dense food. Being at peace. Loving your friends and family. Helping people.
Don’t be scared to sit with yourself.
Happy and Fulfilled,
Shane Lamotte
shane@shanelamotte.com
Shane Lamotte 