The Constant Pause

It is good to have a firm grasp on the realities of reality, even at a young age, despite the fact that we grow up with fables, but, to the extent that perception is reality, we can also teach and have a bit of poetic license with the facts. What one might see as a disaster or betrayal, another might see as a test or cry for help. Therein lies the notion of the 'constant pause'. The beauty of being in a constant state of meditation is the ever-present micro-second you have before witnessing an occurrence in the world and interpreting what it means. To me, that micro-second is the difference between happiness and sadness. It highlights the power of choice. You may not be able to control what goes on in the world, but you can control what goes on in your world: the universe within. It is a matter of choosing to place people and events in a context that is broad enough to stitch them together in a more meaningful fabric, rather than seeing things as raw transactions in a cold, unyielding world. This is not a new concept. It is core to many philosophies and personal stories of survival and success. Still, it is not, as far as I can tell, something that many of us actively practice or teach. We are often times too far into the world to look down upon it. It is hard to read the map while you are in the map. So the next time you feel as though you are going to have 'a moment', try to have a micro-second first ;-)