Monkeyminds

To be the calm in a storm is an incredibly powerful thing to do. It’s also necessary. The world has morphed into an unhinged monster, constantly demanding the movement of its poor inhabitants. Not just physical movement, but the movement of our minds, which has become almost as critical for survival as air. There is always a deadline to meet, always a task to do. Wherever in the world you are at this moment, you have somewhere else to be in an hour and something else to do in fifteen minutes.

All this is within a world that is sinking under the melting ice caps, choking under blankets of smog and steadily toasting itself to death. The Earth may be here to stay, but our World is dying. And so, we run all over a giant sphere as fast as our legs can carry us while also running tiny circles in our minds. Perhaps we hope to find peace by all this running, which is evidently a useless exercise. We cannot leave the planet, neither can we be truly happy (without using psychedelics, of course).

Over the past decade, the concept of mindfulness has received a lot of attention from neuroscientists and psychologists looking to find the source of happiness. Essentially, mindfulness, is the ‘stepping out’ of mind movement. According to Scientific American, “the concept of mindfulness involves focusing on your present situation and state of mind.” According to Master Oogway (who is, of course, more credible), “Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery…but Today is a Gift. That is why it is called ‘Present’.”

By making a habit of focusing deeply and completely on the activity being done in the present moment, without being involved in the mental chatter, one can experience a sense of well-being and peace.

However, research is woefully crippled due to flexible definitions of ‘mindfulness’, lack of standardization and the highly subjective nature of the experience. We must remain cautious enough not to buy into the hype. The benefits investigated through trials are many, ranging from enhanced cognitive function to preserving the tips of chromosomes. But the nature and methods of those trials must be considered carefully.

Even so, we could all use a little calm. For a few minutes a day, perhaps you could pay attention to the way you walk down your wing. You could notice the feeling of your feet touching the floor and the fabric of the pockets touching your hands. You could sense your beating heart and your lungs expand as you breathe deeply. Let the big picture hit you once in a while (without using psychedelics, of course) and become the calm in the storm for that moment.

Article by Niharika Shankar