Attention Machines

"What you believe is heavily influenced by what you pay attention to"

That was the topic of intense conversation between myself and a very close friend. That -

- what you believe is the "Truth" is dependent upon what you experience;
- what you experience is dependent upon what you pay attention to;
- what you pay attention to is guided by your existing internal belief systems;
- your internal belief systems carry the baggage of your historic wants;

All of this leads to a basic argument that what we believe is the "Real Truth" is merely a reflection of what we "Want" to be true based on our history. That's a dense sentence. Re-read it. It means that you can easily fool yourself into believing what is real, simply by wanting it to be real. It doesn't mean it is real or true, only that you think it is.

So if you can let go of the baggage of your historic wants and can take control of your focus - your attention - you can start to see your biases in what you believe is true. Simple to understand, really tough to do in battle.

This discussion came about because of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon: Where you become aware of something and then see it everywhere (ie. I just bought a new car and now I see them everywhere). We all know reality hasn't changed, but our perception of reality has changed and now suddenly our perception of the truth (it seems that there really are more cars on the road just like my new one).

So the real questions are:

* "What are you paying attention to?"

* "Why are you paying attention to it?"

* "Who is guiding your attention if your not?"
(the media is very good at guiding your attention for you if your not paying attention ... by the way ... so is everyone else)

* "What in your past is guiding your focus?"

So can you stop believing that what you think is true is really true? Can you lose your baggage?

See you on the wire.

- Steven Cardinale

The Great Wall of China

Defenses ... we all have them ... Websters defines it as "a means of protecting" or as "an attempt to retain" coming from "the feminine past participle dēfendere meaning 'to ward off'". Having defenses makes sense when we are defending something valuable. Being protective and defending is a natural behavior. But the question really is:

"What exactly are we defending?"

Many times we are simply defending our old ways of doing things. Defending the status quo. Defending how things have been. Defending against the feeling of fear when we get pushed outside our comfort zone. The automatic behavior of defending what we already know; how things currently are; holding tight to what is; against the fear of the unknown is not defending something of value. It is holding on to the past and doing what you've always done; it is more hiding than defending.

If you have to stop being who you are to become who you want to be, then it makes sense that you will fight that transformation ... you will defend against the change. We have all sorts of justifications, rationalizations, and language that we believe supports a defense, when in reality is just a smoke screen against being scared.

So I guess the questions are:

"What walls do you put up that stop you from changing?"
"What situations do you put yourself in that will require you to stay where you are?"
"What language do you use to convince yourself you are defending something when you are really just not changing?"

See you on the wire

-- Steven Cardinale

Distractions

Lately it seems that the universe has been talking to me ... giving me clues ... clues about paying attention ... clues about appreciating the moment ... whispering in my ear to get me to stop letting the details of my life distract me from experiencing the thrill of living.

I met a lady the other day at the hotel gift shop. She was 80 years old and still going strong. Been through cancer and beat it. Been through heart disease and beat it. Still up and dancing and golfing and flirting and living life. And the thing that struck me ... hard ... was when she said:

"I don't know how I got here"

She just couldn't remember the moments that make up 80 years. They go by so quickly. 80 years becomes a blur of daily routines, obligations, requirements ... 80 years of life with little living ... only a few moments worth remembering ... only a few moments to take your breath away. I'm sure we've all heard the quote:

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"

This chance encounter with my octogenarian friend was not the only secret the universe was whispering in my ear. Just the other day an elderly relative passed away. She lived a long life and had many of the things that we all believe create a good run on this little blue dot. However, I'm sure if you asked her during the last portion of her life she would also have said "I don't know how I got here."

And just recently someone I knew from childhood crossed 30 years and an entire continent to connect with me, and was taken aback by how quickly 30 years had vanished.

I guess we all get distracted with the daily chores of living, and very quickly a life evaporates and we all wonder "how did we get here?"

So the question is: "If you're going to get there anyway, what should you be paying attention to? And how can you stop being so damn distracted"

Maybe it is as Henry David Thoreau said: "Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influences of each" ...

So what is distracting you? What are you thinking, needing, wanting, hoping for that will keep you distracted from today, from this moment? What distractions are you creating that stop you from having breathless moments that you'll remember in 80 years?

As the ending of the Peaceful Warrior promises:

"Where are you?" Are you Here?

"What time is it?" Is it Now?

Are you paying attention to your life or are you also going to wonder ... "How'd I get here?"

See you on the wire

-- Steven Cardinale