Yesterday, I spent 4 hours in silence, bringing awareness to the present moment.
All we have is the present moment. And even then, the moments we have are very limited; each of us is on this planet for such a short time.
Given the short length of our lives, it’s amazing to me how much time I squander thinking about the past or the future. Instead of fulling appreciating the moment as it is, I often catch myself dreaming of another summer in Toronto or remembering past challenges or triumphs. Instead of living in this moment, I’m living in moments yet to come or moments gone by.
Awareness is the first step. Slowing down is the second.
When a train trys to stop, it often takes an entire mile. When our busy lives are chugging along at full speed, we can’t expect them to stop on a dime either. My four hours in silence helped to slow things down for me.
Honoring the past – and learning from it – is important. And it’s wonderful to be excited and hopeful about the future. But we can’t build our homes in these imaginary worlds. It’s only in the here and now that we can live our lives.
December 30, 2008 at 9:58 am
I tried this yesterday while cleaning and washing my car. My mind was running a mile a minute. I need more practice!
December 30, 2008 at 10:34 am
Yes it does take practice.
December 30, 2008 at 10:32 am
I am practicing bringing awareness to the moment as we speak. The programs at work are down so I am unable to complete tasks that are reqired to do my job. The IT department is on their way and I just guess it is the universe way of providing me a break that I did not realize that I needed. I am greatful of this moment. Thanks for sharing it with me.
December 30, 2008 at 11:16 am
I like it yestarday when I was able to see and feel the surrounding of my life. It was nice to be able to get away from the computer and tv for awhile to spend time for myself and notice that I am a happy person. Nice to post about this again Davey, Cheers!!!
December 30, 2008 at 11:59 am
I like my quite time, but I must admit my mind never slows down. I struggle with insomnia alot, and that’s partly (I believe) do to the fact that my mind races and mile a minute. I’m constantly thinking, planning, analyzing, etc.
December 30, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I was once offered a gift by a man who said he could guide me on a soul journey (visualization) to anywhere I wanted to go. I asked him, “Can you get me here and now?”. He simply said, “No.” My reply was, “Then thank you, but you can’t help me.”
Now I bring myself here to the stillpoint often, especially when I am active. Teachers like Thick Nhat Han and Eckart Tolle speak very practically about living life mindfully and actively in the spaciousness of the here and now.
Davey, what I see is a new paradigm emerging. As we, as human beings, shift in consciousness, we are quite literally going through a process of transmutation into a new species. Like the caterpillar becomes the butterfly. When complete, we will all live only in the present, the here and now.
We are becoming fully human after all. Finally! Phewwww — took long enough. haha
December 30, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Ive been reading your blog for a while but hadnt found the impetus to comment. But i thought since it was goin’ to be the year end soon, i might as well squeeze in one.
You might be interested in doing mudras. Its like this yogic meditation thing that emphasizes on the position of your fingers. I do it on the bus, on the train, 5 to 10 mins each time and it seems to clear my mind and soul.
Its pretty refreshing. and it keeps the body and mind balanced.
December 30, 2008 at 1:10 pm
I loved the example of the train. It is so true! We spend so much of our time thinking we can just relax when we want to. We are so go, go , go! We need to make sure to commit to allowing ourselves the time to reflect and truly relax. It helps us move on to happier days.
December 30, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Pardon me for being blatantly honest but being in the present isn’t something that can be achieved by doing.
In the same way applying makeup over unhealthy skin does not make one radiantly beautiful.
Thinking about being in the present moment does not result in inner silence. Personal experience teaches us that the moment something happens to distract you, you revert back to being someplace else.
The phone rings: Oh, I forgot to call so and so. Your stomach growls, Oh: I am on a diet. you get horny: Oh, where is his phone number.
Stop pretending you can do -silent awareness or being in the present.
These are both noble objectives but one can not permanently achieve any lasting results through doing.
Being silent in the moment is a natural state that arises from habitually immersing and familiarizing one’s awareness in Being not doing.
Learn to transcend all relativity including your own thoughts about the present and you will experience pure self-referral awareness, ‘Being’.
A mind familiar with Self-referral awareness is spontaneously silent and ever present. It becomes established in omnipresent silence and functions from that level in all activity. This is true and permanent present state awareness.
Every other ‘doing’ may feel good for a while because it is a novel experience but don’t fool yourself it is simply temporary mood making.
Learn to Be not do and you will gain 100% support of Natural Law.
December 30, 2008 at 3:30 pm
*yawn*
If anyone is really interested in how this works (and doesnt) in real life, and how hard it is to achieve for a normal person, not our little spiritual model boy with perfect pecs – check out EAT LOVE PRAY. Yes, it is written by a woman, and to be honest to whole Indian philosophy bit kinda bored me, but it was very real. Unlike this concoction..
December 30, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Heavy! It takes time to become what you really are and hope to be, we are that, what we seek.
We can not see it. but if we still our mind, I hope that one day I can see
December 30, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I appreciate that you’re trying to change the world. Personally I’m not drinking your flavor of Kool-Aid, but more power to you. But seriously, can’t we just occasionally have an old school Davey Wavey blog entry or talky blog? I started reading this blog when you just had random posts and really enjoyed it. Recently I just feel like I’m being preached to and enjoying it not so much.
December 30, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Same here.
The preaching bit is not really working.
I think part of it (that’s what I think at least) is that it is quite ridicuilous coming out of Davey.
Davey is cute (a bit teen looking to my taste, but still hot) and very talented. What he doesn’t seem to have is that something that a lot of spiritual guides have. That inner tranquility and accepence. I know he’s trying, and that’s admirable, but i think there’s a long way to go before he can preach to others.
Compare the spark in his eyes when he speaks about fitness (or Zac Efron for that matter)to this re-chewed frozen-then-thewed thing, and you see what I mean.
December 30, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I think Davey needs to go on another journey – not a spiritual journey, but a physical journey of discovery to another country, maybe the famed Australia trip. I would like to see him at the Sydney Mardi Gras!
I prescribe a diet of more doing and less thinking. That’s what happens when you live alone too much.
December 30, 2008 at 11:28 pm
I really enjoy and appreciate Davey sharing his thoughts and life journey openly on this site. Although I pretty much know about the principles of this blog discussion, it is always nice to be reminded of the present moment in our busy life.
December 31, 2008 at 12:25 am
DAVVVVVEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!trying to catch your attention here. I NEED YOUR HELP!! please!! IVE ASKED you before im 12, im bisexual, and want, need, and feel that i have to tell my mom (i am at the point of sobbing presently) but its so hard and my dad who is about 4000 miles away will never know but someone has to know. ( besides my best friend; and posibly in the future the bi boi i like) davey plese email me and help! ):
P.S. that youtube coming out story dosnt help. sorry ~:[]
December 31, 2008 at 12:38 am
sorry im so of subject
January 2, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Boy Isac,
when I was abot your age–like 14, I was curious or confused?????????. I was not sure if that meant that I was bisexual. but I fooled around with a boy once. I wasn’t sure how I liked it but was scared to tell anyone so I kept to miself. at the end of middle school I kissed a girl and (other fun stuff) and decided that I liked it better. I’m glad I didn’t tell anyone cuz now I kno that I am not confused anymore. my mom was kool but I was still scared to talk. sometimes I think I am still confused because Iseem to always think about how my curiosity began…..sometimes I think it was because I was very very fat and the girls made fun of me.?? and i hardly had friends???? low selfesteem. If I told my brother, he would beat the sh^%t out of me (litterally).I wish I had someone to talk to though. If I were you, I would talk to someone you kno, if you can talk to your mum or dad – that would be kool……..IF u can . if not then someone u can kno and u can TRUST. Dude, maybe you’re not even bisexual….but only u would kno that, if so how long have u known that.????
December 31, 2008 at 2:18 am
Perhaps telling your mother is easier than you think. I’ve learned that parents generally appreciate it when their children confide in them. Thats what parents are for, they are there to guide you, to listen, and to love you. So parents genuinely respect a child that’s willing to be honest with them. The approach is key however, avoid opening with the line, “don’t be mad” because that just gives reason to be upset. Rather tell your mom that you are speaking to her in with the confidence that she will understand.
If yours is the case where you expect your mom to be not so supportive, talk to some one outside your family first. Someone that is older and that you trust like a parent can help you.
December 31, 2008 at 7:05 am
Hey Boy.
Davey usually does not respond to comments on his blog, so if I were you, I wouldn’t be holding my breath.
It is, however, probably a good thing. I don’t think anyone can give you coming-out advice that is one-size-fits-all. You really have to know your mother, who she is and how she is likely to react, before you can even come up with a suggestion.
Here’s what I think though. You are 12. You are bisexual. Do you REALLY need to share it with your mum? You may grow out of it or grow deeper into it or grow into one of the extremes of that spectrum… I was so straight at 12 it is not funny. And 13. And 14.
Then at 15 things began to change…
My point is – why is it so crucial for you to involve your mother in this. I assume that if you were close enough to share every intimate side of your lives, you wouldn’t be asking for help, so I would have to say that my advice is keep mum out of it. Maybe for a year or two. Then rethink.
I hope that helps. Have a lovely 2009!
January 1, 2009 at 3:58 am
dude that helps alot; i love that advice so mutch it makes me want to cry ( in a good way )
December 31, 2008 at 2:06 am
4 hours of silence can really present the truth about a lot of things. Being alone with your thoughts is at first frightening, then startlingly unusual, and ultimately cleansing. Once I was able to accept the truth about my feelings and what not, I was surprised with an overwhelming sense of inner progress.
December 31, 2008 at 2:33 am
The past and the future can only exist in the present. Carl Jung named his autobiography, “Memories, Dreams, Reflections.” That is all our lives consist of. So living in the moment does not preclude living in the past or the future. Living with meaning is all that matters. If the past and the future have meaning in the present, then indulge.
December 31, 2008 at 11:52 am
4 Hours of silence … I should try that sometime. Assuming I could keep my mouth shut for that long. Well, aside from when sleeping.
December 31, 2008 at 7:22 pm
here here…hear and now…
Ciao!
January 2, 2009 at 12:59 am
Randy, your advice to Isaac was very nice. I wish I had someone to talk to about my life when I was that age. Peace be with you, and have a happy new year to all.