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The mind is a clamorous, vociferous, vehement critter. Leaving the mind to the whims of fancy is like walking around with an alarm sounding over your shoulder. Here are a few reasons to quiet the resounding, the nagging, the hounding, grumbling, badgering, the tormenting, the criticizing, analyzing , the one and only, mind.
For Appreciation
When your mind is running like clockwork, you can’t see what’s really before you. You might think you’re seeing the Great Wall or the Grand Canyon before you, but you’re not. You’re closer to your thoughts than to your physical senses. You’re thinking about that swank new car you want, or the cutie you saw at the gas station, or your checkbook, or whether you left the oven on, or how hungry you are, and on and on and on. Your attention leaves you and goes somewhere else. Instead, try appreciating your surroundings without concerning yourself with something that is not present.
That’s not to say that your mind should be inactive. If you’re in a daze, numb, unfeeling, your mind isn’t really clear either. It’s fogged, perhaps even in a daydream, which is like unconscious thinking (an even deeper state of oblivion). Clarity allows for activity of the mind—healthy, productive activity, similar to how your body might feel after a good run. You’re not exhausted, but rather energized and invigorated. And because of this, you can experience the things before you and fully appreciate them.
To Expand Awareness
If you do much people watching, you’ve probably noticed how many people are concerned with their own lives in their daily activities. We fix our hair, checking out our reflections as we pass by a pane of glass. Much of the time, weust’re so unaware of their own distractions that they let their thoughts carry them about from the time they get out of bed to the time they return. These are broad generalizations, and no one particular person falls into this state of zombiedom, but as a whole, humanity seems to follow these patterns, with a few exceptions. You can break the mold by clearing your mind and expanding your own awareness. See the world around you. Pay attention to the colors in the room. Take note of the eye color of the next person you come into contact with. Do you even name the exact eye color of your closest friends? Detect the faintest sounds that your ear can muster. Taste your coffee. How is the bean and the brew different from your last cup? If you’re still drinking the same old coffee day after day, mix it up! Try something new.
Humans fail to appreciate their surroundings if they become too familiar. Familiarity breeds regularity, and regularity breeds oblivion. If you’ve worked in the same office, or lived in the same room so long that you don’t even really see it anymore, change it. Renew your perspective and flex your power of awareness.
To Remove Judgment and Prejudice
The plague of prejudice is among the greatest causes of ignorance. So easy is it to conclude that we know that something is such and such, and this leads us to overlook possibilities for new discovery. Things rarely prove to be exactly as they seem. Even something as simple as the grass can bear a new secret [link to grass article]. Clearing the mind can reveal the world for “what it really is,” as I’ve heard the Buddhist and other philosophies insist. To chime another cliché, remember to empty your cup if you are to gain anything new.
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A busy mind is like a cluttered desk. They can be fun to explore, but in the end, the mind possesses little actual wisdom. It’s loud and entertaining, but in its professing of knowledge, it makes itself a fool. Most of the time, the stuff gets in the way and you just can’t find anything useful.
A clear mind is a focused mind. It has direction and functions like a well oiled machine, or rather, a new computer. Do you remember when you turned on your computer for the first time and it ran like a dream? After clogging up the space with all your stuff, the memory gets bogged down, and runs slower, just like your mind. Your distractions keep you from staying on target, even if your target is simply to enjoy a quiet walk in the park.
What Next?
By now you might be asking, how do I keep my mind quiet? Practice, practice, practice. If you’re not used to it, you might find that clearing your mind is a difficult task. Thoughts chime in, jingles play in your head. Even the meditative and serene can find it challenging in certain times and places, but the benefits are well worth the efforts. Persevere, and look for future posts for tips on how myself and others have achieved clarity.
