14th September 2021
Grab some popcorn it’s time for the mental movies! In the previous post we discussed specifically the attention the news can siphon from the mind. We then expanded this to media in general, this of course encompasses social media and quick consuming forms to a certain extent. But of course the original form of commanding your attention is older than cinema itself, it’s the mental movies!
Do you ever find yourself ruminating over past events, made up future scenarios or even criticizing yourself in the present? Maybe catching yourself complaining or just really grumpy? Welcome to the mental movies. One would look strangely at the man walking down the road muttering to himself. But at the mental movies no-one can hear you talk apart from yourself. Is there really any difference? When one is completely in their own mind and completely identified that they miss the actual reality of what happens. The hardest part is actually understanding what this means, and to recognize the brain does this.
It might be hard to understand with pure rational, analytical thought (life side of brain like we discussed previously). Of course both sides of the brain are not distinctly divided into these two functions in reality but the concept of using a different perception is important. Using that intuitive right side to feel and sense the emotion and to identify the thought is much easier. These practices are much more subtle and involve shifting your attention to your body and 5 senses completely. Positive Intelligence (PQ) by Stanford Lecturer Shirzad Chamine points to this, however the terminology should be used just as a guide. Hard to do when caught up in thinking!
This can be easily observed when negative emotions take over. Someone may say something inflammatory to a person, and this person can start to feel reactivity rise, this can completely take over the mental process. For example anger arising and taking over, jealousy, anxiousness and so on. If this emotion takes over the person becomes the emotion. Later at a moment of clarity they regret actions or wonder why they thought in this way. This can be an extreme example of being caught up in a mental stream or just a mild one. Addicted to thinking is quite a nice term used by Eckhart and so is “lucid living” (you are aware of your mental stream).
So in the process of being outside or simply recognizing these thought patterns (I realize this is quite abstract) there can be simply stillness or grounding. A good example would be like a plant, just still and undeterred on a sunny day or a rainy one. Plants are a good example since they have no mind activity yet continue to grow in many conditions. Of course for a human when action needs to be done this can be completed, but instead of this coming from anxiousness or a negative thought pattern and can come from clarity. In a practical sense Stephen Covey explained quite nicely that people may climb a ladder so fast to reach the top only to realize they climbed the wrong ladder. This can apply to small scenarios, careers, domestic life and so on. Having that pause and awareness is probably a good idea!
So the interesting question is can you be aware of yourself in the mental stream? Are you conscious of being conscious? It’s an interesting practice to take, so next time your mum shouts at you for the 100th time for that sock on the floor, be like that daffodil on the windowsill 😉
-Jhoty
Jhoty 