Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Challenge Of Mindfulness, Middle Age, and Speaking

Multi-tasking does not lend itself to mindfulness. Multi-tasking implies doing more than one thing at a time and thus having a divided mind. Mindfulness is having one mind, focused on one task, absorbed in the moment, a mind fully present to what it is doing. The fact that we need to multi-task is a curse of our age and culture for it promotes a disunity of the mind and spirit.

I think the difference between youth and middle age is this. When you are young, your body seems to be in charge and your mind simply follows along. When you are middle aged, you mind must drag your body along where it does not want to go. When you are young, your body wants to go everywhere. When you are middle aged, your body doesn't want to go anywhere.

Many of the mistakes I have made in my life have been due to things I've said or failed to say. Words and speech are powerful things. Choose them wisely. Learn when to speak and when to remain silent. Do not speak unless your words are an improvement on the silence.

3 comments:

Tohi said...

Seems t me that is is that way also.Found you on twitter Enjoy your post. Tohi Winds

Avril said...

Wise words & timely. Thank you.

Steve Tanner said...

"Do not speak unless your words are an improvement on the silence."

I particularly like those words.