We have lost our appreciation of our natural wakefulness. It is not uncommon for us to live on our habitual patterns throughout the day. With the introduction of digital media this has become even worse. We check our smartphone 50 times a day, put on our computer as soon as we come home and are basically being distracted from our own bodies and minds all day long. We have lost the appreciation of just coming home and doing nothing, be it only for 15 minutes. Our minds hardly ever really rest, even when we are on a holiday. If we really loose touch with this state of just being, without being clouded by our thoughts, we might even almost forget that we have it. We never really forget though, there is always that slight remembrance of it which is for instance activated when something really unexpected happens, something that wakes us up for a moment, which can be a disaster or a pleasant surprise. In these moments we might also experience how many great qualities the state of wakefulness harbors; compassion, insight, equanimity and humor. People sometimes show this on a massive scale for example when there is an electricity failure and we are being pulled out of our habitual patterns. Most people don’t experience this as negative at all (accept for the ones who are extremely attached to their digital lives) but can actually enjoy the fact that they are forced to take out their candles, talk to their neighbors about it and become conscious of how dependent we have become of digital media and electricity. The good news is that we don’t need a surprise, disaster or unexpected event to experience this, this state of wakefulness is always available to us. We can start by coming home and try to just be for a short while, create little pauses in our day, live more wakeful.
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