Zen Simple

I am a simple man. 

That is why Eastern ways of thought have always appealed to me - they emphasize the simple truths in life.

Zen, for example, teaches a mindful, uncluttered way of living that makes a lot of sense for me. I admire its practicality.

It is a process of discovering wisdom through simplicity. I have always thought this to be a pursuit worthy of making it a life goal.

Living simply on a finite planet is unarguably wise. 

The wisdom attained while living Zen simple is paired with compassion. 

That leads to a unique expression in everyday life that applies to one's self, others, and nature.

"Zen is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism. It emphasizes the value and importance of meditation and intuition rather than ritual worship or study of scriptures. It focuses on exercising rigorous self-control, practicing meditation, insight into Buddhism, gratitude, helping others, and being in the present moment." - Harsh Tiwari

It is a state of mind that is gentle and kind.

How does one achieve this? 

1. Be fully present in the moment, and

2. Strive to become clear-headed, and free from unnecessary complications.

These allow one to live life in its purist form, without the distractions and distortions that cloud our perception and enjoyment of living.

When one clears the clutter, mentally and physically, beautiful things happen. 

More simple.

More nothing.

More space.

More free.

Whether All Is Really Lost Or Not

Illustration by Stuart McReath

Whether all is really lost

or not depends entirely on

whether or not I am lost...

- Vaclav Havel

Vaclav Havel, a playright/human rights activist, spent four years in prison for his efforts. 

He triumphed to become president of the Czech Republic.

Seeing Simply

Impression, Sunrise, Claude Monet

"When you go out to paint try to forget what object you have before you - a tree, a house, a field or whatever. Merely think, here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow…"

- Claude Monet

Common Sense Is A Super Power

"Don't worry - God (or technology, or the Gods of technology) will save me."

At one time common sense was common. Then common sense became not so common. Now common sense is so rare that it's considered a super power.

We ignore what we see around us and the gut instinct it triggers, and instead choose to believe the same old lies that pushed us to the brink in the first place.

Common sense will tell us that 5 planet lifestyles are not possible indefinitely. That the ongoing social, spiritual, and environmental destruction wrought upon the world in the name of profits before everything else is leading us to an appointment with collapse.

The disasters are mounting. The Canadian tar sands are an ongoing disaster, the weather is mighty suspect lately, and the rich are getting richer at a faster rate while the rest of us are heading in the opposite direction.

Catastrophic flooding, endless war, runaway oil trains exploding and wiping out a small town with great loss of life, illegal global surveillance, the destruction of the middle class - and those were just this week's headlines.

I don't know about you, but my spider senses have been twitching for a while now. That was one reason Linda and I began taking more earnest actions in changing our lifestyle back in 2001 - we had a feeling that things were not right and were likely to get wronger before they got better. We wanted to return to sanity.

How many more warnings will we ignore before we awaken our slumbering super powers and heed what we can see and feel in our bones? It is like the old joke which I interpret as being about failing to take action when opportunities present themselves.

A city is experiencing a terrible flood. A man is sitting on his front porch watching the water rise when a fire truck pulls up.  

“Get in! Everything’s going to be underwater!”  

“No thanks", the man says confidently, "God will save me. The firefighters drive away, siren blaring. 

An hour passes and the water is now lapping on the porch. A boat comes by.  

“Get in! You’re going to drown!”  

“No thanks", says the man. God will save me.” 

The water rises over the house. The man is now on the roof. A helicopter flies overhead.  

“We’ll lower a line. Grab it or you’ll die!”  

“No thanks. God will save me.” The man drowns.  

When he gets to Heaven and meets God the man asks, "Why didn’t you save me?” 

“First I sent a fire truck. Then I sent a boat, and finally a helicopter. What more did you want?”

It doesn't matter if one believes in a spiritual god sitting on a cloud, or the financial gods of capitalism sitting on the bull of Wall Street, or the science and engineering gods of infinite technical wisdom perched upon their super computers and rocket ships, we are going to need to save ourselves.

It is up to us to do what looks right, and what feels right.

The warning signs are there. It is time to reclaim our birthright, our super power. It is time to return to using our common sense and start making much-needed changes.

Spontaneity

After earning a degree in psychology, but before starting my training in education, I worked in a special needs program for autistic students. It was an eye opening perception shift to see the world from the point of view of my two key students. They challenged my ideas of what is real and what is important.

My autistic students disliked surprises. They disliked surprises a lot. As soon as anything approximating spontaneity loomed, emotional meltdowns ensued. I learned to stick to their program and keep things very, very predictable.

People with autism are not unusual in their desire for predictability, but represent the far end of the spectrum that is 100% predictable on one end, and 100% spontaneous on the other. Most of us fall somewhere in between, but most fall closer to the desire for predictable.

Spontaneity is usually interpreted by our structured, planned, and disciplined culture as impulsive and childish. As adults we are more likely to equate the word with spontaneous combustion than with being free in the moment.

Suddenly bursting into flames - not so good. Going with the flow of what life brings - very good.

I have found that the more spontaneous I am, the happier I am. And in a positive feedback loop, the happier I am, the more spontaneous I am likely to become.

It feels good to be free in the moment to follow our own energies and let life wash over us. The last time most of us allowed ourselves to be truly spontaneous was in childhood, and even then it is an impulse which adults wish to stifle.

Like my students, we need some structure in life to get important things done, like eating, sleeping, exercising, eliminating, keeping warm, and connecting with friends and family. The rest of the time we can give ourselves permission to set aside our rational, contained manner.

Predictability may provide the illusion of security, but one risks missing the possibilities of freedom. Life is vital when you release your own open, natural, and uninhibited self.

When we resist our own autistic tendencies, we can reconnect with our true spontaneous spirit and live fully in the moment. Who knows, great things may happen. Scientists often report key ideas and realizations "coming" to them spontaneously during periods of open relaxation.

Being more spontaneous leads to happiness, peace, and confidence. That is a good feeling to have at all times and will lead to shifts in perception.

Be More Spontaneous... Now!

• smile at a stranger
• do a good deed for someone out of the blue
• get into your car through the passenger door
• do something you have always wanted to do
• get in touch with someone you haven't connected with in a long time
• cook something you have never made before
• go for a walk, ride, or drive with no destination
• sit quietly until something happens
• set aside some time to do whatever you want to do
• skip work and go to the park (not near work)
• hang upside down