Moderation is freedom because it increases our behavioral flexibility. It broadens the range of actions we can take in a given situation. It allows us to change our behavior flexibly based on what we truly want to do. Moderation is freedom because it puts our Will in charge of our life. Think about it. A former alcohol addict who cannot allow himself to touch a drink ever again in his life may be perfectly abstinent. But he is not perfectly free. Not as free as someone who has never had … [Read more...]
Why the True Will Is Not a Free Will
Willing liberates: that is the true doctrine of will and freedom. (Nietzsche) Although doing our True Will is freedom, we cannot freely choose what that will consists of. Here is why we do not have a free will (based on my knowledge in cognitive science; for a more detailed scientific argument, read the book Free Will by Sam Harris): The human will is a product of the nervous system, which functions largely beyond conscious awareness. Even if the human will were a product of … [Read more...]
How Meditation Makes Us Rebels
Focused attention is likely the prime measure of life quality. The more we live in a state of flow, presence, and grounded awareness, the more life we get out of our existence. Quality time is time under attention. Mindful eternity. In modern civilization, we have sacrificed our attentional freedom to the gods of consumer capitalism. Yet we can rebel against these gods and reclaim our freedom by training our attentional self-control. Such training is a disciplined commitment to mindfulness … [Read more...]
Time Is the Enemy
Timelessness is the essence of joy Say, what gives quality to a day in life? The flow of doing & the mindfulness of non-doing That is, every moment lived beyond past and future O, circadian rhythm over industrial revolution all day! Though born in biological time, we slave away in civil time And instead of sun and stars, we look at clocks and calendars We worry about work and hurry to work and worry about hurrying We look at the clock; every minute counted is a minute of death O, … [Read more...]
How to Get Out of Your Head in Two Simple Steps
When the ego is trapped in the head, the mind is not cool. Circular thinking, overthinking, obsessive thinking, worrying, and ruminating are all symptoms of mindhotness. Being a contemplative person who has been given the partial gift of a rich inner mental life, I have often found myself trapped in my head, unable to get out when I needed to. Although I could have accepted this as part of my character, I never did. Not because I was unwilling to accept my nature, but because being in … [Read more...]
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