I find the mantra for this stage of my life to be stillness and focus, “one thing at a time.” I remember a time, when it was this way most of the time, at least for most people. Now it seems that most of us are preoccupied trying to do multiple things at the same time. Which makes giving our full attention to anything at one time impossible. The inability to focus has become a primary problem in the modern world. Comparatively speaking, we are witnessing more human casualty and waste in this age of multitasking than we have seen in recent memory. Accidents and mistakes in nearly every industry and area of life have risen, while customer service and quality has declined. The most important things – our relationship with self and others have also suffered. More time focused on these two areas may be the simplest solution to enhance the way we live. Not self obsession but gentle attention to the task and time at hand will not only produces a superior product or service, It is vital to our mental and physical vitality. It makes life more enjoyable, whether that time is spent with others or alone. We experience a feeling of completion when we practice focusing on “one thing at a time.” When attention is focused it becomes nurturing, rich and warm. Divided attention however, can feel the exact opposite, cold and calloused.
The divide in our attention not only creates external wastes, it is often internally inefficient. I recently made an interesting discovery about my daily thoughts. Many of the things I dwelt upon throughout the course of the day were for the most part non productive to both my daily routine and life purpose. whether in reference to a situation, myself or another. Such thoughts were refueled daily through continuous streams of media. At night I often took these thoughts to bed, affecting both my sleep and dream life, reinforcing the same patterns of thinking and behavior the next day, which ultimately impacts destiny. I do not believe that it is mere coincidence that the majority of the population live beneath their own desire to exist in a state of peace and well being. This self induced cycle of unusable thought is pervasive throughout society, in those we know and those we don’t, especially over the various forms of social media. Given the aforementioned, what other possible outcome should we expect other than disappointment.
The term garbage in garbage out (GIGO), was popularized by an IBM programer named George Fuechsel in the 1960’s. Though it was applied originally to computer programing, it is no less true for humans and other life forms. Most animals can be trained to reproduce a given result based on consistent input. The quality of outcome is always determined by input. The system is largely irrelevant, human, animal, plant or machine, everything reproduces after its kind. If we are to have better lives, we must produce better thoughts – about everything, starting with ourselves.
How eager we often are to escape the present moment and avoid our own company. This may be an indication of how interesting we find ourselves. The screen time setting on our cell phones are a clear indication of this. We crave distractions, which many psychoanalyst would probably relate to some form of addiction. Many relationships fail because we often feel guilty about taking time for yourselves. Learning to appreciate time alone is one of the best ways to discover how magnificent you really are. The nineteenth century writer Kahlil Gibron, poetically captures the very essence of this in his book, The Prophet, when he writes:
“Then Almitra spoke again and said, And what of Marriage, master? And he answered saying: you were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.”
Time alone is not a rejection of others but preparation and refinement that makes you a better friend, lover, spouse, parent and person. The man who is able to stand alone will always have company, for he is a man who enjoys his own sweet time more than any other and his beauty radiates outward. Undivided attention to self in a states of stillness breads peace. Solitude is not aloneness, there is an entire universe within waiting to be discovered. We often admire the intense focus of a musician who performs with such poise and rhythm that they appear to flow, seamlessly transitioning between notes or instruments with perfect harmony, completely immersed with their craft, steady and focused. This is the creation of harmony that unifies one with self and environment. The observer and the observed vibrate to a single frequency in time and space. In these moments time passes differently, it ceases to be a straight linear path but rather expands outward in all directions into a state of stillness. There is a lifetime in a moment; the moments of life that we miss when attention is divided. That seamless transition from one moment or task to the next as we move throughout the day.
There is a space between every breath. Within all sound there is silence. Silence is not the absence sound, it is its birthplace, as darkness is the creation of all light, stillness animates every motion, so calm is found in the mist of chaos – peace is the natural order of life.
by K. Osei
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