In my last blog I mentioned that I would give you some tips on how to be like a little child again.
My grandson Krish can be exuberantly happy for little reason. Or no reason. He sees the albino alligator in the aquarium at Lafayette and his eyes light up in wonder. As they do when the turkeys wander majestically through the backyard of his house.
What can we do to recapture that wonder we had as kids?
Here is how you can begin your journey back.
Step one: Stop being mechanical.
In an earlier blog I pointed out that we rapidly become blasé about even the most spectacular of Nature’s marvels. Your mental chatter hijacks you and you live in a make-believe world that you have constructed full of sorrows as well as speculations and desires for tomorrow.
Stop! Stop! Stop!
Look, really look, at something. Anything. The dirt streak on the window. The spiderweb in your yard. The broken brick in your patio.
Just look.
The Master sent his disciple to observe a tree in a nearby forest and report back on what he saw. After a day the disciple came back and said that the tree had a sturdy trunk with many leaves and branches.
The Master sent him back.
After two days the disciple saw that the tree was home to many birds and insects and that the forest around it was alive with activity. He returned to the Master and said, “Master the tree is not just a tree, but it is a hub of life in the forest.”
The Master sent him back.
The disciple went back and observed changes. Some of the leaves had fallen and the colors of the leaves were changing. He came back and said, “The tree s not just a hub of life in the forest. It is also subject to change.”
The Master sent him back.
The dejected disciple went back to the tree. This time he simply sat beneath it and meditated. Months later he returned and said, “Master, I have learned that the tree is not just a tree, it is not just a hub of life in the forest, and it is not just subject to change. The tree is a manifestation of the universe, and all things in the universe are interconnected.”
And the Master embraced him.
Step two: Stop using language!
Here is something that you have probably not noticed – when you look at something, you don’t just look. You label it using language. You don’t just look at a dust streak on the windowpane or a broken brick or a spider web. You call it a dust streak and make a mental note to tick off the cleaning service. You label it a spiderweb and look for where the spider may be hiding. You call it a broken brick and decide not to get it repaired because it would cost too much.
Stop!
Just look at whatever you are looking at. Do not languagisize it! (Did I just coin a new word?) Do not go to what it is and what you will do about it or whatever.
This is NOT easy. In fact, it is darn difficult, and it will take you a long time to get the hang of it.
But when you do succeed, you will begin to look at the world in a different way.
Step three: Repeat with different objects and feelings.
Repeat the steps above with different objects, then persons and then your feelings. Just see your child but don’t see your child. Feel anger, jealousy, envy, fear, anxiety and enjoy them. Watch the movie of your life as if you are sitting on a comfortable armchair and eating popcorn.
As you keep trying to do this, you will mostly fail. But there will be instances when you feel a ‘click’ and then you are transported to the world that children inhabit.
And you know that you, too, can access The Kingdom of Heaven!
Peace!
