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If we are present we can observe our behaviour with awareness.
If we are not present, automatic patterns take over and runs us.
Transcript:
Lately, whenever I go to share something, it drops, focuses, lands on behaviour. And now there are new, let’s say, realizations or discoveries in science about behaviour as well. So, we’ll just look at one thing first, the mind.
It seems that the mind is designed to keep us safe. So it looks to the past, includes all the experiences that it has had, it’s heard that other people have, and then projects that into a possible future. And in between is a gap. And the gap is now.
Now, what’s interesting in science, recently, is that they’ve seen that what we do in the present has been dictated to us several seconds … in the past in the mind. In other words, the mind has made the decision and we automatically – without knowing that we’ve already thought that – say something, do something, we behave in the moment and it’s been dictated by the past.
Now when that’s to do with being safe in the future, that is a good thing. And I know I’ve said this following thing often, but take a look at this. Just cast your mind to several people that you know and remember a time when you met them. Now what you will probably find is, this person is almost the same every time. Now sometimes they’re up and sometimes they’re down, but they’re the same person.
And what I’m suggesting here and now, what also scientists are suggesting, is this is behaviour. And it’s behaviour that is developed from when they were a child. And when we’re a child, we’re either trying to get attention or, if it’s negative, avoid attention, and we develop a pattern. We develop a pattern in the posture of our body, the facial expression, the tone of our voice and it’s a pattern. It isn’t the person being alive, being a present, being with you … in each moment. It’s automatic.
And if you think back to people, you’ll think, “Oh, yes this person’s like this. This person’s like that.” And if you take a look, you’ll find, some people, for instance, and when they go to talk to you they lift their chin, and they look away and talk in a certain way. Now they’re not doing that. It is doing them. From their childhood, that’s what they learned to do in order to get what they want or avoid what they didn’t want. It’s not them, now, in each moment. And what I’m suggesting, probably neither do you. You’re not here … now.
Now it’s suggested that we go to the past of the mind to be safe in the future. But if you’re here … now, you will be with what is. And not only that … and now this gets very vague and I’m not saying…. Don’t believe me, but many, many people are saying, there is no time, there is no space. It’s all happening simultaneously.
And if there is a danger in what we call the future, if we’re present we’ll pick it up and we’ll respond without even knowing what we’re doing. We’ll step aside without knowing why we stepped aside. I’ve see it done. I’ve seen people respond to something that hasn’t happened yet. And there are things on the web where that has happened.
So, if you look at your friends, you’ll find their tone of voice, what they say, whether they’re full of detail or they hardly share anything at all, whether they’re up or down, there’s a pattern there and that pattern is not them. That is a pattern of the mind, that’s dictating to this person how to be, because this person is not being present enough, to be alive and available to this very moment, this very moment.
And while you’re listening to this, your mind will probably say, “Oh, yes I should do this or I shouldn’t do that or I believe this or ….” But that’s not now. Now doesn’t believe or dis-believe. It doesn’t agree or disagree. It’s just there, here, now, absorbing … this moment, these sounds, this feeling. The mind is continuing a processing, but you’re not locked, lost, being dictated to by the mind. You’re here, now in this incredible moment, amazing moment.
Whether it’s an emergency or whether it’s some wonderful news, it’s amazing when you’re here. It’s alive. It’s presence. It’s vibrating with life.
When you listen to a bird, even when you listen to a cow, there’s something present about it. And as I see it, that’s our invitation to be here, now.
When you’re talking, listening is all what you’re saying, is that really a… or are you saying those very words or is mind dictating to you what to say and it comes out dead. Even if it’s loud, it’s dead, because you are not there present, saying it with your whole being-ness. And of course, we hear it be … here … now, this is it, take no though of the morrow, let the morrow…. Be here … now!
Happy New Year!