Personally, I don’t care for the term mindfulness. The word brings up ideas of a mind that is completely full. But full of what, full of stuff; anxiety, worry, lists, ideas? That’s not what it really means. Words are like that. They don’t always point you in the right direction.
Now take mindlessness. Is this the state of not having a mind or not using your mind? Let’s get real. When do you really not use your mind? When you are sleeping? Your mind is still active in your dreams but in a different way than when you are awake.
O.K. so neither of these terms really describe what they mean. I think this poem gives a better view of both of these states.
Autobiography in Five Chapters
Chapter I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am hopeless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in this same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit… but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter V
I walk down another street.
– Portia Nelson
Do you see how that works? When we are mindless, we allow our habits to direct our behavior. We experience our life as “not being in charge” or “not being present.” this condition gives us permission to not take on any blame for anything we do. When we are mindless, we continually fall in the hole.
When we learn to be mindful, we have the opportunity to see the hole, even if we still fall in. As we continue to increase our mindfulness, we gain control and can change our behavior. We no longer fall in the hole.
Here is our motivation to practice mindfulness. We can stop our unhelpful habits and take charge, choosing our behavior. What a simple concept…
It’s the first Step on our way to Wholebeing.