The chapter on Patterns has finally been closed. I'll rethink over all the issues and this might become the foundation of a book on life. The next few posts will review a couple of books followed by entries on technology/ career in software development.
A few months ago, I partially read The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Ekhart Tolle. I couldn't finish the book as it is repetitive at many places and I seldom get even an hour of leisure in a day. Still it's a good read if you can spare some time. The crux is that there is a hairline difference between Life and Life Situation. Our life situation starts from a time in past and ends at somewhere in future - it's a span with starting and ending points - a line.
Life, on the other hand, is NOW. It's a moment - a point - a reality. Life situation is imaginary because past is no more with us and future is what we never experienced. Most of the problems that we think we are facing are with the life situation; you will hear people complaining: My exams are going on these days and I am under pressure; I am in debt; My parents aren't happy with me these days; I am not progressing in my current job, etc.
Contrarily, mostly there is no problem NOW. What problems are you facing while reading this text? You must thank Almighty for the breath that you take without any difficulty, the eyes that are letting you read this and the mind that is processing the information as you read and enables you to follow the complexity of this text without requiring a re-read.
Amongst other interesting things discussed by the author is the treatment given to mind. According to him, mind is a tool like other parts of body that is meant to be used; it shouldn't start working on its own and thus create noise. To be present and alive in Now is what the book tells you to do - stop living in past or future. I leave the rest for you to explore.
Great minds have concluded that time is an illusion. Let's take the example of a star that is at a distance of 100-light years from Earth. When you see such a star in the sky, you are actually seeing the past! It was there about 100 years ago and may not be there anymore because the light has already taken a hundred years to reach you.
But doing is more important than mere reading. And "to believe" is even more important. Whenever you finish reading a book, don't just continue with another - assimilate what you have learned. As a friend says, "Be the change you want to see in this world."
One half of nothing is still nothing.
(somebody commenting on Eric Lippert's blog)
