Take away the mind chatter, take away the stories from our childhood, take away our views on religion and politics, take away our opinions about global warming, take away our ideas of our monetary value and the capitalist system, take away our ideas on what success looks like, take away our views on what a good relationship or good parenting looks like and what do you have left? Who are you without all these thoughts? Who are you without your busy mind? Who are you when your mind is quiet?
Who are you without your minds ideas, views, opinions, beliefs and stories? What is left in the stillness?
I believe it’s you. You, as your pure self. You without your mind to distract you. You in your essence of your heart. You in your purity. You without stories that you weren’t loved as a child. You without memories of your parents not listening and understanding you. You without the feelings and memories of being alone. You without any expectation that you have to be somebody. You without the expectation that you should be good, study hard, get a good job, work hard, get married, buy a house and live happily ever after.
Have you ever wondered who said this is the way we should live or the way we should think? Who made it up, this way of existence? I challenge this way of living, this way of thinking. I challenge this as a way to live my life. I believe there is another way to see the world, a world away from our minds thoughts. A world free from your point of view and opinions. It’s a bit like the Matrix movie, a world inside a world. I think it is the world that is seen through your heart not your mind.
Let me explain; here is a little exercise to show you the difference. Put your index and middle finger on your forehead and then think of a person you don’t necessarily like, think about them and what you don’t like about them. Keep thinking of them. Think of more things that you don’t like about them.
If you can’t think of anyone that you don’t like or someone that annoys you then make someone up. Think of them and witness your mind and how busy it is. I would imagine lots of negative thoughts and opinions coming up. Now put your hands on your heart and think of the same person through your heart. How do you see them? I would be surprised if you don’t see them differently. Can you see how they are struggling and just doing the best they can? You also may be able to see why they do what they do.
I have done this exercise many times for myself and also with other people. Every time the person does this practice, they see the other person differently from their heart than from their head. Your heart sees people with compassion, it sees others’ unhappiness, it sees the real person.
My point is if you can see people differently from your heart, I bet you will be able to see life differently as well. Generally, your heart doesn’t have judgments. It has clear vision with understanding and compassion. It doesn’t react to the other person’s comments and it understands why they say what they do.
Here is a different way of looking at a situation when you feel put down or angry or frustrated and you want to get a person back for making you feel the way you do.
Ask yourself:
- Who is the person am I defending?
- Who is the person that I don’t want to get hurt?
- Who is the person I always want to protect?
- Is this person in my head or in my heart?
- Who was the little child that felt alone? Were they in my head or in my heart?
- When I think of this lonely little child, does he or she live in my head or my heart?
These questions or concepts are sometimes hard to understand and experience as your mind constantly tries to make some sense of them. The problem is that it isn’t a mind experience, it’s a heart experience and our minds will constantly try to take control and be in charge.
Here is another example: think of somebody that you love. Put both of your hands on your forehead and say out loud, ‘I love such and such’. Go on try it. Now put both hands on your heart and say the same thing, “I love such and such…..”. Notice the difference. From your head, it seems like a statement but from your heart it’s more like a feeling, an emotional experience.
I encourage you to practice looking and living life through your heart; it’s a very different world when you do. It is a practice and your mind won’t give up without a fight, it will constantly try to bring you back into your stories, judgments and opinions.
My encouragement is to have a go at living in a world without your opinions. Try it for just one day. Just observe the world with wonderment, see nature with amazement, see all the beauty of life, see people with wisdom and understanding, see life through your heart.
Stop for a moment and smell the roses.
‘Let your light shine through the trees for the world to see.’
From my heart.
Cheers,
Pete C.
