Lately, I’ve been committing to a daily mindfulness practice – not just meditating, but doing my best to really notice my thoughts as they arise in everyday life. This helps me more consciously choose the thoughts that I actually believe and act on.
As I watch my thoughts more closely, I’ve been shocked and horrified at how racist, misogynistic, and otherwise prejudiced I – or, my thoughts – can be. Just walking through the grocery store, demeaning thoughts pop into my head without invitation, totally out of my control.
I have a long road ahead de-programming the many unconscious beliefs our society teaches us. I will probably never fully detach myself from them, but I can become more capable of seeing them and choosing a different path.
Peter,
Hi, yes I choose to take conscious care in the choice of words I use to describe my thoughts and feelings. In my lifetime (Im 85). everything has speeded up exponentially. Its not simply explained as “Im slowing down”.
The vocabulary we use is like a paint box. We can just use red, green and blue or we can colour our words with careful subtle nuances
Consider is an example, it comes from ancient Greek meaning “to study with the stars”
Hey Peter, I like this paragraph. To paraphrase Pema Chodron, To the degree that we are able to calm the waters of our mind, we begin to see all of the carnage at the bottom!