Distraction

AA wrote: Das spricht mir so aus dem Herzen. Ich fühle mich auch als Opfer des Cell phones. Manchmal sehne ich mich schon nach der Vor-Smartphone-Zeit zurück.

BB wrote: Jag håller med dig! Telefonen är bra men inte varje vaken sekund på dygnet.

CC wrote: Sannerligen en fara! Man lägger med visshet för mycket tid uppkopplad...

DD wrote: Tänkvärda reflektioner i en tid då allt fler barn sover med mobilen vid huvudkudden. Vi lever inte var vi befinner oss utan i etern.

Distraction

Distraction drugs us into forgetfulness. 

                                           Stephen Bachelor: Buddhism Without Beliefs

In our western society we are constantly surrounded by distractions; it almost seems we are purposely kept off from living fully. I don’t deny that there are interesting programs on TV or that the cell phone is a rather useful device, and who am I to criticize video games or other virtual pleasures – I don’t even know how they work. What I feel, however, is that all these modern technology amusements really drug us into forgetfulness. They simulate life – they are not life. And they easily turn into addictions.

One day I realised I was getting too hooked to my cell phone and needed to limit its usage. When out in nature, I turn it on airplane mode (also to avoid the radiation), using it only as a safety device and camera. At home I’ve got a box where I put it out of my field of view, taking it out only at certain intervals to check for messages. 

It IS difficult not constantly to hover over the cell phone, also because it has become the “social life line” with my beloved ones far away, but I can see how unhealthy that is, from more than one point of view… And I definitely don’t want to be drugged into forgetfulness. 

Do you?

Who Do You Want To Be?

AA wrote: Beautiful, Sabina. Keep going!

Who Do You Want To Be?

You are who you choose to be.
                      Ted Hughes: The Iron Man

We all have our genetic codes and we are shaped by our environment. However, as humans we also have our free will; we can choose what to think, say, and do. We can choose who we want to be.

Who do you want to be? What do you want to spread in the world, what is your message? 

Do I want to be the über serious worker, devoting my life to my company? Do I want to live in sync with my dreams and innermost aspirations, with humor and lightheartedness? Do I want to spread impatience, stress and “I don’t have time” to my colleagues, family & friends and other people I meet during the day? Or do I want to spread joy of living, gratefulness, and “I’m there for you” to those I meet?

If you think about what kind of atmosphere you want to live in and how you want to be treated by others you already know what you want to put into the world and what your personal message is.

Who do you really want to be? What can you do today to come closer to your true self?

Thankfulness Meditation

 AA wrote: Då jag går in i ett projekt på jobbet så är även det en sorts meditation för mig. Sinnena skärps och det blir allt fokus på att lösa det uppkomna problemen. Inget för störa mig.
 BB wrote: Love it!

Thankfulness Meditation

This is simply a copy of one of the wonderful meditations from Mark Nepo’s “The Book of Awakening”,  with the hope that it will colour your week with gratefulness for simply being alive in this amazing world of ours. 

• ·       Close our eyes and breathe slowly.
• ·        Imagine that you have these delicate surfaces through which you feel wind and see light and sense the spirit of everything else that has lived forever. 
• ·        Imagine that once awake you walk in a world where small creatures fly about your heads and sing, where colourful, juicy things grow on trees, that you can eat what grows from dirt. Imagine that there is always water running nearby, that you can wash the tiredness from our face as often as you like. 
• ·        Imagine that once awake you live in a time where there are others you can talk to about this miracle of being alive, others you can laugh with and cry with, others that you can love. 
• ·        Imagine you can open your eyes and dance in a world where water can fall from the sky, that you can open your throat and song can come from it, that you can find the sun and let it warm the flower of you into being. 
• ·        Now open your eyes and receive that it is all true, it is all here, it is all now…

Take Care of Yourself

AA wrote: Love your email contemplations. I printed this one so I could reread for inspiration.

Take Care of Yourself

Today, make a list of all the things you would do if you started to really take care of yourself.                                                                             Daphne Rose Kingma: A Garland of Love

Are you taking good care of yourself? 

Our health is our capital, and I find it crucial to nourish myself regularly with high quality, fresh, homemade food, to get enough exercise and fresh air, to take the time to do what I love, and to care about my mind. You could say that for me it’s easy, but having a full time job is no excuse for neglecting your health.

Sit down with a pen and paper and think of how you would best would take care of yourself (for ideas, have a peek at my blog post “Your Health is Your Capital”). Make a list – and start to do one thing regularly right now. I wonder what it will be...?