I offer this as an examination and introspection of yourself, the people around you and the community. The greatest challenge we face on earth is our long term survival. We have not been aware and, thus, have created the demise of our planet and ourselves by living mindlessly. This is the mysterious challenging destiny that lies before the human race.
Thoughts about living mindlessly:
- Food. Many of us overeat and don’t respect the food and the ritual of meals. Most of us rush through our meals with little respect for our food, the farmers, the preparers and work that went into our meal. Many of us do not pause for a moment of gratitude and observation of our food. Do you observe the brilliant colors, the fragrance, the shape and the texture of your food with respect and gratitude?
- Anger. Countless individuals react to another person or to a different opinion with mindless habitual anger. When we are mindful we are centered in the present moment and instead of reacting immediately with anger we observe information and mindfully choose an intentional response.
- The breath. Most of us take our breath for granted. When we are mindful we are aware that our breath is an essential key to our health. In our culture, we always seem to be in a hurry, rushing and breathing shallow and quickly. Our breath is the first action we take when we are born and our final action before we move to our next level of existence. Have reverence for your sacred breath and the peace it creates in your life.
- Emotions. A vast number of us are continually flooded by the domino effect of our unchecked emotions. We move from worry to anger, then to fear and are not aware of our habituation to this heightened emotional state that robs us of our peace and balance.
- The Earth. We have not respected our precious natural resources and now we are seeing our planet suffer. As we “wake up” we are learning how to mindfully conserve and respect our use of water, the earth, the air and other precious resources.