I’ll admit, I love a lot of “old man” activities: sitting on the porch, listening to birds, taking long walks outside with my hands behind my back, etc.
One of my favorite is the art of contemplation.
Contemplation is when you set some space, give your mind a prompt and just let insights come to you.
You can do it while sitting, walking, or even while doing some light movement. The key is to just be with your thoughts, letting insights unfurl without distraction.
Contemplation is a more passive form of thinking, and a surefire way to reveal deeper insights about anything. It also helps with focus, self-awareness, right-left brain hemisphere synchronization, intuition and cultivating holistic intelligence.
There’s a reason why almost every philosopher, inventor, writer and great artist did some kind of contemplation practice daily.
Most people these days invest little to no time in contemplation. Noise, distraction and an addiction to being “busy” equates to a life of shortsightedness, fragmented attention, cloudy mental function, and a dissociation from intuition (among other things).
To me, that’s not only a travesty, but dangerous. Without contemplation, we easily fall into unconscious patterns that might be destructive long-term – without even seeing it. This applies both to our individual lives and humanity as a whole.
In this context, contemplation helps us see a bigger picture view of reality, and acts as a strategic safeguard against personal and collective downward spirals.
Contemplation is much more than a preventative practice though. That’s only a small subset of its benefits.
The beauty of contemplation is that, in such a simple way, it can have profound, positive changes in your life.
Additionally, the practice of contemplation itself is really enjoyable. So it’s one of those things where the journey is the goal and the goal is the journey. Again, there’s a reason why it’s always been a staple amongst wise beings.
So here’s an invitation: Stop distracting yourself 24/7 and set some space for contemplation.
Maybe do an information detox to let all the noise in your mind (and body) settle down a bit.
Every day, commit to at least 20 minutes of contemplation: Just sit and think or take a walk outside (without your phone).
You can give yourself a prompt to contemplate. Maybe it’s a question. Maybe it’s a specific topic. You can even just wait for inspiration to arise and go from there.
If you’re new to contemplation, the key is to focus on the prompt, but in a passive way. It’s almost like planting a seed in your mind, and then letting it grow.
Questions are a great way to navigate this process. Simply ask yourself a question and “sit with” the space the question creates, allowing insights to naturally emerge.
Here’s an example:
Why do I keep watching the news, even though I know it doesn’t help me?
Let the question sink in
(This might lead to contemplating the compulsive need to “be informed”)
Why do I always need to be informed?
Let the question sink in
(This might lead to contemplating the fear of the unknown)
Why do I fear the unknown? What is “the unknown” anyway? Isn’t just about everything unknown to some extent?
Another example:
What is money?
Let the question sink in
(This might lead to contemplating the nature of value)
What is value?
Let the question sink in
(This might lead to contemplating the nature of collective agreements and energy exchange)
See how it goes? It’s an exploration.
Honestly, there’s no rigid formula here. You kinda just figure out what works for you as you “sit” in the space of contemplation.
You can contemplate any topic; something you’re interested in, a problem you’re trying to solve, a quote, etc. You can even use nature as a contemplation prompt, such as observing a tree, which works incredibly well.
Contemplation always leads to deeper insights and new ideas, especially when you commit to setting space for it.
I highly recommend everyone practice contemplation, as well as come up with your own contemplation prompts.
It’s a simple and elegant way to cultivate inner wisdom, appreciate the subtle beauty of existence and allow your life to blossom into higher level awareness.
With Infinite Love,
~ Stephen Parato
