People who are depressed, people who self-pity and have a victim mentality, people who are selfish, all have one thing in common; they have small realities. The blinders are on big time. All they can see is themselves and their problems. Their ability to see outside anything else is extremely limited. They look at the sky but don’t see it. I’ve been there, and you probably have been to. Well are you ready for a mind=blown moment? It’s impossible to keep a small reality, when you really contemplate that video.
Now that you’ve watched that youtube video, check out the picture below. Make sure to click on it to blow it up into full size. Also, I just ran into this picture which is even better. Check it out and make sure to click on it to expand it into full size.
“Once you realize and accept that all structures (forms) are unstable, even the seemingly solid material ones, peace arises within you. This is because the recognition of the impermanence of all forms awakens you to the dimension of the formless within yourself, that which is beyond death.”-Eckhart Tolle
Okay so space is really really really really large (and probably infinite….whatever that means), but how does this apply to our lives? I believe contemplating outer space and learning about it, is one of the most therapeutic things you can do for your life. It frees you. It puts things into perspective. I find that it gives me an inner sense of peace and well-being. In these moments, I value everything so much more; my life, the mountains, the people around me, my health, everything I’ve worked for, the friendships and family I am blessed with, the list is endless.
Hopefully we all have moments like these. And hopefully we can all continue to create these moments for ourselves on a consistent basis. So here are a few random introspection’s that the picture above inspired.
Ego Obliterated (at least for the moment)
Definitely one of my favorite authors is Eckhart Tolle. I strongly recommend reading his book “A New Earth.” The book is simple, and complex at the same time. His teachings and articulations shine a bright light on life itself and leave you with a sense of peace serenity. When you start to actually apply the teachings, you notice that life has 10x more depth than it did before. You will likely find yourself in the moment more often, grateful more often, and with a sense of peace more often.
So what is the ego? Of course, I really like Eckhart’s view on it. To get the ‘full picture’ you’ve got to read the book but here’s a quote that quickly summarizes it:
“When every thought absorbs your attention completely, when you are so identified with the voice in your head and the emotions that accompany it that you lose yourself in every thought and every emotion, then you are totally identified with form and therefore in the grip of ego. Ego is a conglomeration of recurring thought forms and conditioned mental-emotional patterns that are invested with a sense of I, a sense of self. Ego arises when your sense of Beingness, of “I Am,” which is formless consciousness, gets mixed up with form. This is the meaning of identification. This is forgetfulness of Being, the primary error, the illusion of absolute separateness that turns reality into a nightmare.”
Simply stated, contemplating outer space obliterates the ego. You realize that you’re nothing and something at the same time. We are all on a organic spaceship that floats around a giant burning ball in the middle of nothingness. Your petty worries, your self limitations, your so-called problems, are nothing. Nothing.
Your Thoughts On Reality Mean Nothing, Stop Taking Them So Seriously
I think I’ve got a lot of things figured out; until I look at a picture like the one above. At this moment I fully realize that I don’t know shit. Moments like these are generally accompanied by a inner sense of peace. Finally, I can let go. This is humility.
We all tend to think that we are the holders of truth. We all have gigantic list of cognitive biases that came pre installed into our minds functioning. In other words, we trick ourselves into thinking that we’ve got stuff figured out. Well here’s some news, we don’t. I don’t, and neither do you. Your thoughts about reality aren’t reality. It’s that simple. Stop think they are.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”-Lao Tzu
Have Fun With Life, Do What You Love, Make Personal Development A Hobby
We tend to take ourselves way too seriously. I know I do. Often times I take my life way too seriously. The best advice anyone could ever receive is simple: this is your life, have fun with it. It is yours. No one else’s. Why not make the most of it? Why not create it how you desire?
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”-Steve Jobs
Ultimately, life is to be enjoyed and we only have ourselves to blame for ruining this precious experience. If this guy is loving life, it’s pretty apparent that you and I have no excuses.
