REAL ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS
The Wine Valley Vibe: That Friday Feeling
Question: Where do we go from here?
Answer: To wherever and whatever comes next, mindfully, into the next moment.
Question: What are you doing?
Answer: Breathing.
You can go weeks without food, days without water, but only a few minutes without oxygen.
Breathe through your nose, not your mouth, as this allows air to be enriched with moisture and warmth before reaching your lungs.
When seeking relaxation and clarity of mind, take three deep breaths, slowly inhaling and exhaling.
The word breath derives from the Latin spiritus (for spirit)
Said the Buddha, Be aware of only your breath.
Question: What’s next?
Answer: When that moment arrives.
Question: And after that?
Answer: Whatever we happen to be doing.
Question: How does one live in the present moment when it is so fluid?
Answer: Start by defining the present as “from now until bedtime.” Then, from now until bedtime, do not dwell upon your past (linked to depression) or fret about your future (linked to anxiety).
Or as German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche put it, referencing focus: Recover the seriousness of a child at play.
Psychologist Steve Taylor:
“Awakened people don’t take anything for granted. They have an acute sense of wonderment and awe [like an eight year-old]. Phenomenon that others consider mundane seem strange and even miraculous to them. They’re awestruck by natural occurrences like the rising of the sun in the morning, the motion of waves on the ocean, the flight of birds, and clouds foaming across the sky. They gaze at the stars on a clear night and are amazed to be here.
“To awakened people, the world never becomes familiar. Everyday experiences never lose their freshness and beauty. A shift from taking-for-granted-ness to ongoing gratitude is one of the clearest ways in which awakening manifests itself.”
Say a blessing to your past and future and live spontaneously—from now until bedtime—with the whimsy and playfulness of an eight-year-old.
After some practice, graduate to a full-on focus of the moment by silencing your mind and becoming one (present and connected) with everyone and everything around you.
Time is as fluid as consciousness itself. They were practically made for one another.
Question: What is the purpose of life?
Answer: To keep genes alive (though don’t rule out the possibility that humanity is just a tool for parenting Artificial Intelligence).
Mother Nature is emotionally indifferent to all living species and it is just as easy for Her to discard living beings as it is to create them.
DNA’s job (instinct) is to avoid Mother Nature’s downside.
But since your spirit is enjoying a human experience, why not strive to discover the infinite world through your own journey by choosing your own meaning in life and enjoying the game of energy at play (what Joseph Campbell called the experience of being alive)?
Your purpose in life: First, find out what you are good at. Second, help other people with what you are good at.