- Most medical doctors are more adept at treating an illness'
symptoms than identifying and conquering its root cause. If a patient has
strep throat, a doctor will prescribe antibiotics, and the symptoms will
usually dissipate. But it is unlikely that the doctor will explore in depth
why the person became sick in the first place. The patient might be "cured"
of the strep throat, but he is still suffering from a compromised immune
system. He had step throat yesterday, and tomorrow he'll have cancer.
-
- This narrow field of vision also affects many in the
field of self-help. Countless books have been written about the road to
recovery from addiction and neurosis, but like the medical doctor who only
sees the symptoms of a sickness, most of these authors do not identify
the taproot of dysfunction. Even the 12-step program may be lacking in
this regard. Participants are told to embrace a Higher Power, but they
may be left to wonder, "Where is this Higher Power? How do I find
it?"
-
- But what if it is possible to identify a single taproot
of all human suffering? Could we cut it out like a tumor and make ourselves
well? Because the mind is a complex tapestry, the very notion seems naïve
and simplistic.
-
- Simplistic or not, one author not only succeeds in finding
this taproot, but hands the reader an axe and instructs him to swing. The
name of the author is Eckhart Tolle, and the book is titled, "The
Power of Now." I've plowed through countless spiritual, new age, and
mainstream therapeutic guides to self-improvement, but Tolle's words resonate
with more fundamental truth than anything else I've read.
-
- As its title suggests, "...Now" explores the
transformative effects of living in the present moment. Tolle comments
that the vast majority of humanity is ruled by the egoic, obsessive-thinking
mind, which keeps us forever brooding over the past, and projecting into
the future. The capacity for "higher" thought distinguishes mankind
from every other species on Earth, but according to Tolle, it also keeps
us in bondage with suffering. Tolle refers to compulsive thinking as an
"addiction" and "disease," and states that the road
to good mental health can only be found by "disidentifying with the
mind."
-
- Tolle draws a clear delineation between the terms "mind"
and "consciousness." Although we are taught to believe that the
mind is a necessary tool to function in the world, Tolle argues that mind
dominance leads to compulsive thinking, i.e. a racing mind that continuously
makes problems where none exist. The mind (according to Tolle) is a creation
and tool of the ego, and in order to survive, it must convince its owner
that the present moment is inadequate - that happiness can only be found
in some elusive future reward. Consciousness, however, is not only superior
to mind in creativity, but does not live in resistance of the present moment.
Tolle writes, "Enlightenment means rising above thought, not falling
back to a level below thought, the level of an animal or a plant. In the
enlightened state, you still use your thinking mind when needed, but in
a much more effective and focused way than before...No-mind is consciousness
without thought."
-
- Tolle explains that the mind creates a false and limited
self - the ego -- that derives its (illusory) strength entirely from its
external life situation, or life story. This of course creates tremendous
inner conflict, as a person's "happiness" is subject to the inevitable
rollercoaster of life's "ups" and "downs." The false
self (ego) is incapable of living in the present moment, always believing
that happiness lies in some external reward, which only exists in the future.
-
- Resistance to the present moment creates what Tolle calls
"psychological time." And Tolle argues that our "addiction"
to time is perhaps the greatest plague our species has ever known. He writes,
"You will not have any doubt that psychological time is a mental disease
if you look at its collective manifestations. They occur, for example,
in the form of ideologies such as communism, national socialism or any
nationalism, or rigid religious belief systems, which operate under the
implicit assumption that the highest good lies in the future and that therefore
the end justifies the means...Not infrequently, the means of getting there
are the enslavement, torture, and murder of people in the present...This
is a chilling example of how belief in a future heaven creates a present
hell."
-
- According to Tolle, one benefit that comes from living
in the present moment is that it empowers you to not be overwhelmed when
things inevitably go wrong. He even goes so far as to state, "All
problems are illusions of the mind." The reader is invited to participate
in a very powerful exercise, where Tolle instructs, "Focus your attention
on the Now and tell me what problem you have at this moment." I've
done this several times, and never once have I discovered a problem.
-
- Tolle elaborates, "...it is impossible to have a
problem when your attention is fully in the Now. A situation that needs
to be either dealt with or accepted - yes. Why make it into a problem?...The
mind unconsciously loves problems, because they give you an identity of
sorts. This is normal, and it is also insane."
-
- Tolle attempts to give the reader the tools to be fully
connected with the present moment. This includes simple exercises such
as closing one's eyes, and observing the first thought that comes to mind.
This constant reminder to silence the mind and live in the Now may seem
overly simplistic, but as Tolle explains, egoic mind can never really be
understood. Therapists spend years dredging up and analyzing their patients'
pasts, but Tolle tells us to "die to the past" in every moment.
-
- If there is a fundamental key to becoming present, according
to Tolle, it is the act of surrender. The term surrender, in the minds
of many people, has a negative connotation, meaning "resignation."
But in the context of becoming more present, it is an act of courage --
to stop living in denial of what IS. Tolle writes, "Surrender is the
simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow
of life. The only place where you can experience the flow of life is in
the Now, so to surrender is to accept the present moment unconditionally
and without reservation...If you find your life situation unsatisfactory
or even intolerable, it is only by surrendering first that you can break
the unconscious resistance pattern that perpetuates that situation."
-
- Although Tolle's words are timeless and cross boundaries
of culture, race, and religion, I believe that the Power of Now has exceptional
relevance for people living in 21st century America. It happens that the
United States is home to more sociopathic and self-destructive pathologies
than any other country in the world. The U.S. has born and raised 76% of
the world's serial killers, even though we hold just 3% of the world's
population; we sport the highest rate of childhood murders and suicides
among the world's 26 wealthiest nations; the highest rate of obesity of
any nation in the world; the highest incidence of the eating disorder anorexia;
the highest rate of adolescent drug use of any industrialized nation; and
the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy in the Western world.
-
- In my opinion, serial killers, anorexics, drug addicts,
suicide victims, etc., have one thing in common - they all identify excessively
with mind. They live in constant resistance of the present moment, choosing
to contract inward and create a false sense of self from intense fantasy
worlds. Many serial killers have confessed that they value their private
thoughts more than they value reality. So no serial killer - or anyone
who does violence to another - has ever been truly connected to the Now.
-
- The false self (ego) is actively bred and cultivated
by the American culture. Competition - the key tenet of every aspect of
our society - is driven by the belief that happiness can only be found
in some future reward (victory). Even the exalted "American Dream"
is based on a lie - that the future is more powerful than the present.
-
- To be fully conscious in the present moment is to create
a "psychic shield" against all attempts at manipulation by those
in power - media, government, religion, and corporations. Indeed, YOU can't
be manipulated at all - only your THOUGHTS can. When you disidentify with
the mind, you become the OBSERVER of your thoughts, and they no longer
have the power to overwhelm you. No attempt to trigger anger, despair,
depression, or hatred will be successful if you have discovered the power
of the Now.
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