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Photo by Artem Kovalev on Unsplash |
“Think. Or be. You can’t do both.” - Fargo
There it is. A truth we must learn to face: either think less and do more, or do less and think more.
I’ve been pondering this idea for a few years now. It’s clear to me that I personally lean more towards overthinking than I’d prefer. While I don’t watch the critically acclaimed 2014 TV show, I first heard this line being used as an intro to a song: “K.O.S.” by The Palmer Squares. It’s held me captive by its alarming relatability to meditation and mindfulness (a practice that I’ve grown passionate about ever since beginning my career in education).
The act of thinking vs. the act of being.
It may seem simple to recognize the difference between the two, especially when analyzing other individuals. But true understanding stems from the roots of self. Only you can know your you. No one else. That’s something we need to come to terms with; which, arguably has never been more important (given the state of the world at the moment).
Easier said than done.
Obtaining the knowledge of self is a liberating skillset to possess. It’s on the same spectrum as Jung’s ego death. It is a surrendering to one’s self, and it can put our minds in places we never knew existed. Once honed, this can thrust us into two directions: a state of being or a state of thinking. The key is in learning how to control that; how to surf the waves of your own.
Learn to recognize when you enter either of these states.
“Temet nosce” is latin for “know thyself” (as seen in The Matrix). It’s a gateway to finding purpose and fulfillment in life. And, strangely enough, we are born with such “hidden” hardware. It resides from deep within our DNA, this art of exploring consciousness. Yet, we’re only able to find it if subsequently able to share it. The knowledge of who you really are at the deepest dimensions.
You can think it. Or you can be it. But not both simultaneously.
My poetry book, Things You Don’t Know, explores and experiments with this concept and how we might be able to better understand ourselves by looking within. Please don’t take that as a plug. As I said, I’ve been pondering the mental framework for several years now. I happen to find it incredibly fascinating: living in two different states of consciousness that coexist and interact, yet never truly coincide. The only way to discover that is an authentic and honest self-exploration. A consistent meditation practice.
And that’s a truth that I feel as if I haven’t even quite figured out yet. I am still learning.
“Don’t let ‘close enough’ be your standard for truth and opinion. Insist on accuracy and on getting it right.” - Ryan Holiday, Trust Me, I’m Lying
I see this as a thought-experiment in our mental lives. An adjustment to the way we think and the way we behave. A quest. An adventure to keep going. This, of course, would be different for every human being, but seems ever so necessary in strengthening our mental health in dire and uncertain times.
For me, several of my weaknesses were identified and explored using this mental framing. Two come immediately to mind: my self-confidence and my anxiety. I’ve written about both before and through that reflection, I feel as if I have a better understanding as to where my personal mental struggles stem from. Anxiety certainly falls into that realm, especially with the current state of American society.
After reading this great article from Jordan Brown on how writing about your anxiety helps to identify and process feelings so you can better connect yourself, I felt as if the universe was begging me to try. Begging me to realize the differences between my thinking about anxiety and my doing about anxiety.
So I’m trying to write about it. “Practice in public,” as Jeff Goins would say.
Anxiety, for me, roots in this understanding of thinking and being. It shifts my frame of mind from reaction to nonreaction. And I don’t think those words quite illustrate the idea, but the bottom line is ultimately simple: there must be balance.
Thinking replaces your time to be. Being replaces your time to think. This is balance in its truest, extended human form.
Feeling unbalanced is fertilizer for our anxiety. It hinders our ability to remain too focused in the past or the future. It keeps you in your own head. Too much thought.
Thinking is a good thing - don’t get me wrong. But if we’re unable to control its power over us, we lose the ability to choose between thinking or being. And being is the infrastructure of the present. A self-awareness centered at the roots of meditative mindfulness. If you cannot recognize this, you are imprisoning yourself to your own mind. You know the old proverb: “control your mind before it controls you.”
Being present is all there is. All other manifestations of time are an illusion.
“The nature of psychological compulsion is such that those who act under constraint remain under the impression that they are acting on their own initiative. The victim of mind-manipulation does not know that he is a victim. To him the walls of his prison are invisible, and he believes himself to be free. That he is not free is apparent only to other people. His servitude is strictly objective.” ― Aldous Huxley
In this regard, the more control one has over their own mind, the more they realize the extent of their true power. More wisdom leads to more belief and more belief leads to more abundance. (Even though we’re never really taught that in our Westernized schooling.)
It starts with your awareness of self.
I think that’s what attracted me to the Palmer Squares. Their ideology of self. It’s that notion of being able to break free of the box that society tries to place us in. (Another fantastic rap group, the Knowmads, come to mind.)
This notion that you can either think or be in part of a system that we never designed nor volunteered to be part of. A place where spiritual understanding comes with the cost of life-long struggle: am I thinking or am I being?
And it’s this same idea. The one we’re all struggling with. Who am I and what is my purpose?
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Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash |
To this extent, I’ve learned a few takeaways that might be beneficial to anyone embarking on their own inward journey:
Be kind
Everyone is experiencing their own struggle and suffering. We can never truly fathom another’s perspective.
Exercise empathy
Try to understand, as best you can, what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. (Reading fiction is a good way to build this skill, surprisingly enough.)
Respect everyone
Everyone. Unconditionally. Everyone has their differences. This is a mutual social contract. Please do not mistake what I am saying. If someone disrespects you, they are projecting their pain on you. Take no shit, but do no harm.
Service others
We’re all in this together. Lend help whenever and however you can. Yes, this is intentionally vague. You do not need to be a billionaire philanthropist to exercise such an innate human skill. Sometimes all it takes to brighten someone’s day is a smile.
Share the power
We all have this power within us. Teach others how to exercise their different mental frames. Being and thinking are two entirely different states of reality. One of these is for us and us alone, while the other is for everyone altogether.
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So let me fade this out with a couple quotes that’ve reassured me along my journey. I hope they bring the same comfort to you as you embark on your own self-awareness journey. Remember to recognize your states of being vs. your states of thinking. Make time for both.
"For spiritual understanding is not a reward given to you for being a great person; you cannot acquire it any more than you can acquire the wind or the stars. But you can open your eyes and see it." - Alan Watts
“As far as you are concerned, you are the most important person in the universe and everything exists because you exist.” - Kunal K. Das, The Quantum Rules
“We never really get to know the heart and soul of anyone else but our own selves, because we can never be inside another person’s consciousness.” - Kunal K. Das, The Quantum Rules
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[Related Read]: "On Consciousness"
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Thank you for reading! You are my biggest influence. Got some food for thought? Let's connect. 🙏 Stay learning and much love!
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