Outside and Within
"I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is."
- Alan Watts
So today at Starbuck's, I saw a woman wearing a plastic bracelet that said, "Be in the present." She was putting cream and sugar in her coffee, and talking on a cell phone at the same time. A few days ago I was talking with one of the guys I swim with about Buddhist precepts, and he quoted Buddha and made heavy references to The Tibetan Book of the Dead. When I asked if he had a meditation practice, he looked at me like I was mildly crazy, and said, "No, I've never done that."
A few months ago I came across a quote that said we are all experts at practicing virtue at a distance. This is true. But I think there is a deeper issue staring us in the face here. If a person wants to make changes, they are going to have let go of habits and behaviors, or do certain things differently. On top of this, I think it is really important to step back and ask oneself if they are really living consistently with what they present to the world.
Namaste
- Alan Watts
So today at Starbuck's, I saw a woman wearing a plastic bracelet that said, "Be in the present." She was putting cream and sugar in her coffee, and talking on a cell phone at the same time. A few days ago I was talking with one of the guys I swim with about Buddhist precepts, and he quoted Buddha and made heavy references to The Tibetan Book of the Dead. When I asked if he had a meditation practice, he looked at me like I was mildly crazy, and said, "No, I've never done that."
A few months ago I came across a quote that said we are all experts at practicing virtue at a distance. This is true. But I think there is a deeper issue staring us in the face here. If a person wants to make changes, they are going to have let go of habits and behaviors, or do certain things differently. On top of this, I think it is really important to step back and ask oneself if they are really living consistently with what they present to the world.
Namaste
posted by Zen_Accountant at 8:44 AM
3 Comments:
Consistent? Kinda. I guess people who consider themselves honest will occaisionally cheat on something.
Evil doers can surprise us with an act of heroism. I had a boss years ago who presented himself as a leader in his local church. But when I left his office, he cheated me out of income that was due me.
Of course, this is what makes people so interesting, those quirky little missteps. It's the stuff of novels and theatre.
By the way, I love the image of the Starbuck's woman with her bracelet and her multi tasking. That would be a great first sentence of a book or a great opening scene in a movie.
Most days it is just easier to say,
"Darnit, I'm just not fully integrated. Maybe tomorrow it will all come together."
I agree with Aunt Shelly that those odd little quirks add interest to a person. So can simply living an interesting life. Consistency is terribly hard in a world filled with murky unclear choices. It takes a lot of effort to know yourself well enough to know why you make some choices over others. It takes even more effort to follow through.
I often replay in my mind the choices I've made that I now wish I hadn't. For example I was just barely going to make the sign-in for an important track meet as I waited patiently at a stop light. Then, right in front of me, an older lady, who was waiting to turn left, was creamed from behind by a guy who obviously didn't see her. Her car was pushed onto the center divide and she wasn't moving. The guy was out of his car screaming through her driver's side window at a motionless body like it was her fault. It was a busy intersection and there were many witnesses and my light turned green. Do I stay (with my coach in my car) help and miss my meet, or do I go? I went. I regret it, but I would probably do it again.
It isn't consistent with what I believe my values to be, but I guess actions do speak louder than words. I think it all comes back to effort. It is easy talk the talk. Try walking the walk.
As I've said before, people are lazy.
MAD
Walk the talk... I have it posted in my cubicle and stare at it every day.
AEM
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