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ZEN
Can you sit still with difficult emotions? Rather than trying to quickly escape from them, are you able to allow them to stay with you and witness how they unfold in your mind? I know that this goes against our instincts to avoid uncomfortable feelings by any means possible. But for a minute or two, I encourage you to go against your instincts, and let those difficult feelings flow in the space of your mind. For instance, be curious about what would happen if you were to allow a sense of disappointment, sadness, or hurt to linger. Instead of judging yourself for having such feelings, or trying to divert your attention by watching a TV show or surfing the Internet, what if you face them directly and observe unpleasant feelings without any prejudice or resistance?
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Bats have conscious experience. They’re mammals, and they engage in the kinds of sophisticated behaviour that we associate with consciousness. But bat experience is very different from human experience. While humans navigate the world using sight and sound, bats navigate the world by way of echolocation. What it’s like for a bat to employ echolocation is presumably vastly different from what it’s like for a sighted person to employ vision. Might there be any way to close the gap between human experience and bat experience?
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When we practice gratitude, we can acknowledge not only what we are fortunate enough to have, including health, a job, a home, clothes, nice weather, and so on, but also what others have provided for us to maintain our good lives. For instance, we can be grateful for a parent’s continuous support, a friend’s wicked humor, or a partner’s warm hug. We can also say “thank you” to ourselves for not giving up in the face of multiple rejections, for picking ourselves up after heartbreak. The more we practice gratitude, the more we will come to appreciate and be thankful for the things we have.
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