Thoughts Arise

I saw a fleeting shadow on the floor near the window. A moment later I saw the blurred shape of a bird fly past the alfresco doors. But between these moments was a more surreal one where I doubted what I had seen. The blinds on the window were half drawn and the shadow was too fleeting, so I was unable to identify its cause. What happens if the mind stops labelling for a moment? What happens when automatic associations are relegated from the forefront of experience? I observe that a sense of mystery pervades the mind. Concepts collapse into a more singular experience and the sense of being alive becomes tangible. The passage of time resolves to a precise point; moving forward but with existence always a moment in the present. What is the utility of such mindfulness? Is it anything more than a moment of tranquility? Consider a sentient AI labelling objects in the world. Would it find it worthwhile to pause its classification and see the true nature of the world as a whole?   Photo from

Caught in a tussle between competing wants, my attention switched to the intake of breath. As I felt the air enter my body, I realised the spontaneous nature of the moment. And in the next exhalation the thoughts that had so consumed my attention faded away. It was the most serene moment of the day; standing holding the object of my desire, aware of the mental chatter as it dissipated, leaving only the faint ripple of amusement in its wake.   Photo from www.freepik.com  

Sometimes life has the quality of a dream. This realisation can appear in a moment of detachment from what is occurring around me. Or in a state of relaxation; a pause in ever present concerns and priorities. It can appear through a shift in the perception of time; when I feel submerged in some liquid of the most gentle viscosity. But what makes life feel most like a dream is when a particularly mundane observation suddenly feels significant. The lines on the back of my hand. A mote of dust in the sunlight. These moments are so similar to that instance of realisation upon waking from a dream. In dreams the mind perceives in the absence of senses. While awake the mind incorporates the senses and perceives with more clarity. And yet there are states where that clarity too becomes suspect. When reality seems an illusion; the limited perception of an infinite world.   Photo from www.freepik.com