In Between

I am reading U2's autobiography.

In it Bono references a preacher friend who once told him "Pain is evidence of life because it reminds you there are things in your life that aren't right. So you should be thankful for it really and celebrate that there is so much to live for."

This is a level of thinking I aspire to. It goes to a deeper level and looks at life and experiences from a different angle. I am moving in that direction but I have only taken 10 steps in a 500 mile journey. At least I am no longer satisfied with skimming the surface of things.

There are many examples from different disciplines that make the point.

One of the meditating approaches I am leaning on right now is a 16 minute job that opens up with the guide speaking. At one point he says that to settle down the mind we need to be able to access the space between our breaths, the space between our thoughts, the space between our words.

Maybe this sounds insane on the surface, but if you give it a little thought it makes perfect sense. 

Speaking for myself, my mind never shuts up - it continuously hounds me with all manner of thought. In the past when I tried to shut it up it would just blow past my roadblocks and keep on jabbering.

Meditation has put the breaks on that to a certain extent. Meditation fits into the spaces between my thoughts. The quiet. The open. The vulnerable.

Deep breathing forces you to focus, which muscles superfluous thoughts out of your head. Not talking is a noble goal indeed - most people vomit words at an alarming rate. And say nothing.

You have to get in between that stuff to give your mind room to breathe.

Musicians say that the notes you don't play are as important as the ones you do. They talk about "leaving space". They admire musicians who have the discipline to leave some space. They equate not playing with playing. It is all part of the same experience.

All of this is what I am trying to get at. The concept of quiet, of focus, of space, of the value of "not". 

These things allow you to think differently, approach things from a fresh perspective, stimulate your mind with original thought instead of falling back on the familiar, on habits, on learned behaviors.

It is worth the effort.