By Donna D’Cruz
Mind, Body, Spirit? No—Spirit, Body, Mind! The competition for our attention is growing exponentially while our attention span is declining just as fast. The crazy busy-ness and increasing speed of our lives often has us forgetting that we are human beings, not human doings. We have become disconnected from our essential nature, our highest self…our spirit.
We are living in the most extraordinary of times—a moment of the utmost paradox. It is magnificent, complex, expansive and potentially the most destructive of times. Google is still a teenager and Facebook is just a tween, yet the greatest revolution they fueled is nothing short of seismic.
It’s filled with time-saving short-form hacks and acronyms—ADHD, PTSD, FMO, ADD, OMG, DIY, BTW, IDK, 2F4U, NOYB…WTF!
It has not yet been 50 years since we landed on the moon and now we are probing the outer limits of our galaxy, yet we feel challenged to offer human contact and counsel one-to-one. Your smartphone offers 120 million times more power than the computers NASA used to put a man on the moon—it has become easier to text or message our feelings than to quietly sit and share our innermost feelings with one another.
Our devices make it easier for us to stay connected, but we seem to be less connected than ever to others, our planet and our self. This disconnection has increased alongside increased levels of depression, addiction, sleep issues and even suicide rates. The opioid and heroin epidemics have cut and sliced society’s fabric with stunning aggression.
We have created more data in the past 15 years than we have in the previous 5,000. Today, the average American spends more than 12 hours per day on media (often multitasking). This information overload combined with the “always-on” device in our pockets has squeezed out our times of solitude, reflection and contemplation.
Well-being is not merely the absence of disease but is also related to inner peace and balance. In the allopathic framework of wellness, it’s usually stated as Mind, Body and Spirit. I suggest we rethink, recalibrate and put Spirit first. What do we really want but more human connection, more happiness, love and joy?
We put our attention on our strength, our achievements, fame and fortune, our power and the quest for significance, acceptance and importance. We think all these things will lead us to happiness. In fact, they rarely do—and it’s usually fleeting. How can we achieve real happiness all the time? By living a more aware, present life. How? By inviting stillness: the cessation of thoughts. Inviting stillness allows us to eavesdrop on our deepest truths and desires. It’s only by returning to the present moment with stillness that we reconnect with our source. Take a dip into bliss by doing three things: Number one, simplify. Two, accept. Three, let go. Are you ready?
