Courage

Te Kouma, Coromandel, New Zealand

It seems so simple. All that we have to do is bring our attention to the present moment and all of our problems will be solved. We will find our life's purpose. We will be as Gandhi was, as Buddha was, as Jesus was. We will be a light unto the world. People in our presence will start to awaken.

If it is so simple, why does it seem so difficult?

It is difficult because the pull of obsessive thinking is so strong that we believe that if we give up our thoughts and our beliefs that we will die. Our identity, everything that we believe that we are, is completely intertwined with our thoughts and belief systems.

How do we awaken? Once we make the decision to do so, there are an infinite number of tools available to assist us. There is yoga, meditation, nature, books, and films. Many films such as JERRY MAGUIRE, AS GOOD AS IT GETS, AMERICAN BEAUTY, THE MATRIX, STAR WARS AND AVATAR all share this theme of becoming conscious and learning how to love. Merely being in the presence of people who are awake triggers an awakening in us.

It requires discipline to continually bring our attention back to presence no matter how lost in thought we become. It requires courage to face our darkest thoughts, which we have pushed deep into our subconscious.

Let's have the discipline and courage to awaken to presence in this very moment.