Backwoods Blog

DISTRACTIONS

Backwoods Blog;

in the woods and on the road…

“endless”   photo by my nephew Garrett Crawford

“To perceive the truth, there must be a focusing of attention. This does not mean turning away from distraction. There is no such thing as distraction, because life is a movement and has to be understood as a total process.” 

– Krishnamurti 

“Bare attention is the clear and single-minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception. It takes the unexamined mind and opens it up, not by trying to change anything but by observing the mind, emotions, and body the way they are. It is the fundamental tenet of Buddhist psychology that this kind of attention is, in itself, healing.” 

– Mark Epstein; Thoughts Without a Thinker

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If there is one thing that defines life in the early 21st century it is sensory overload. There is no shortage of stimulating input for our brains to process. Along with this surplus of stimuli comes the dilemma of selection. How can I keep up with the ten million things as they speed by my computer screen or demand my timely e-mail response? I usually categorize a large percentage of these “extras” that solicit my attention as distractions, but Krishnamurti does not use this term. He says there is no such thing as distraction. Everything you place your attention upon is your focus for that moment in time. How long you place your attention there is totally up to you. The trouble is, we often aren’t aware of where our attention is. 

If we are focused and seeing clearly there is equality of all things. No matter what the object of our attention, if we are alert to our own awareness there is no hurry, confusion or stress. Each of the ten million things arise, retains itself for a moment and then recedes. The dispersion of our own mind is what complicates the process. To just take one thing at a time is still some of the best advice around. No matter how many things may be lined up vying for our attention, just take the next thing that comes into view. As the new week begins and our daily planners start to fill up with things to do and places to be, approach it all with a singleness of mind that keeps your sanity intact.

One thing at a time.

Dave

April 26, 2023

“endless .2” photo by Garrett Crawford

Garrett Crawford