“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Blaise Pascal was on the money and here's why.
Note: This post was originally published a year ago. Reposting for those who missed it - and btw I’m offering free 1:1 sessions - details at the end
Next time you are on the platform waiting to catch a train, have a quick glance left and right. The majority of people will have their heads down, scrolling through their phones. (This post isn’t about the peril of smartphones, it’s about our inability to just be which manifests as a desire to escape digitally).
One famous study found that people would rather receive electric shocks than be stuck alone in a room with their thoughts. So why is that?
When you start paying close attention to your thoughts, you will notice two things.
Firstly, thoughts arise on their own. We have no idea what thought we are going to have next.
The second insight is crucial: the vast majority - 90% plus - of our thoughts are self-referential. What do I mean by that? They revolve around one of the following: ‘I’, ‘me’ or ‘my’.
‘What do they think about me?’
‘I am better at X than he/she is’
‘That was my idea!’
This is how we all tend to experience the world: through the prism of ‘me’.
These self-referential thoughts create a tremendous amount of suffering. They make us self-conscious for one, and a deep insight is that the ‘me’ to which they inevitably refer doesn’t actually exist.
To be clear, I’m not saying you, or your body, don’t exist. What I am saying is, the idea and image you have about yourself is a psychological phantom.
If you explore exactly what the self-referential thoughts refer to, through the practice of self inquiry for example, then this becomes obvious. There is no ‘me’ staring out from behind the eyes. It’s an illusion!
There is an aware presence however: the same aware presence that is aware of the sight of these words right now.
Which brings us back to Blaise Pascal. When you start to unravel the strands that make up your idea of ‘me’ (roles, experiences, beliefs, tribal affiliations etc), then the subtly joyful nature of this aware presence increasingly outshines the torturous cloud of ‘I, me, my’ thoughts.
Which is why Francis of Assisi wisely said, ‘What we are looking for is what is looking’.
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I'm offering free one-hour sessions to people who want to explore how to create freedom from the thinking mind and experience more flow in their life.
These insights have been profound for me, and I love working with people to share them. So if this resonates and you want to experience a causeless joy at work and in your day to day life get in touch.
There's no hard sell - it's literally just a chance to see if I can help you in a one hour session. Frankly it’s a no-brainer.
I know I can help you, so if you're interested, message me below or email me at info@simonmundie.com, and I will send you my booking link.
But hurry - spaces go fast!
‘After our sessions I felt as though there had been a profound shift. The days that followed were some of the best days I have had in many years as there seemed to be so much more space between me and my thoughts’ - Henry
‘Each session with Simon has been enjoyable and enlightening... Simon’s use of his own experiences are really helpful in grasping the ideas behind it all. After each chat I really feel like my 'cup has been filled'.’ - Jack
PS. please do check out my latest YouTube video - on effortlessly living without fear. The insight I share was MASSIVE for me. Simple but profoundly impactful.
And my latest podcast is deep but good - with Donald Hoffman and Rupert Spira, on the convergence of science and spirituality. My goal is to bring what can seem life lofty ideas down to a level anyone can appreciate. Listen here.