The Mind - An Owner's Manual: Sitting Down
In the 17th century, Blaise Pascal, the French philosopher and scientist, wrote: "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." One of my goals for 2021 is the ability to sit down in a room and examine myself, for (continuing the European philosopher theme) as the Greek philosopher Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living". As I set down, the mind is still whirling - absorbed in the past or thinking about the future. It takes a few deep breaths to bring a sense of control and awareness of an inner existence apart from the cacophony seeking my attention outside. It's tough - a few minutes later I realize that I'm back to mind-wandering. I still feel wrapped in the many roles I don - father, husband, son, brother, neighbor, worker, citizen. It takes time to shed these one by one, feeling lighter as they all drop off. As Shankara says, in the NirvanaShatkam: ...Nor was I ever born, nor had I pare...