Where Are You?
Do you ever ask yourself where you are? Probably not. Where are you? It is a strange pondering process. Where one is, however, is likely a very important query. This is because where one’s mind is – so one is there. Is this correct? Can it be right? A person is where they are physically present. Or are they?
If one is sitting at a boring meeting and observing a company’s financial review or a projected forecast of sales over the next year, then one’s mind may begin to wander. Perhaps because when one is paying attention to topics that are about as mentally stimulating as watching paint dry, one’s mind craves stimulation. Hence one may start to daydream. Now let us pose the question again: where are you?
Are you where you are physically present or are you rather where you mind seems to be? Are you in your thoughts or in a specific thought? Or are you where a set thought puts you at a set moment? Could you actually be there? Let us take for an example people going to see some movie. At first the movie is promoted as being interesting and exciting, so people buy tickets. Once the movie starts it begins to enter one’s mind: “Why did I come here? What is this madness I am watching? Can I get a refund? If I leave will anyone be annoyed?” If chooses to sit through the entire boring movie, then one’s mind may wander somewhere else.
Perhaps one will be in restaurant eating one’s favorite meal: Steak with gravy and mashed potatoes, with steak tomatoes and asparagus. “Can’t you just taste it?” Are you there or are you still in the movie theater watching that lame movie?
We may need a further example for those who are skeptical of the point striven to be made and impressed upon one’s mind – that people may be where they believe themselves to be in actuality. Let us consider that you are reading a book. It is right there in front of you. You are holding the book in your hands. You can feel its weight and sense the texture of the cover and of the pages. You know that the book is real. The words on the page are real words and you understand the meaning they intended to convey to you as they reader. Now you put the book down on a table before you. It is still open and you can still see the words on the page. You are no longer grasping a hold on it thought.
As you make an effort to read you mind begins to wander into various thoughts: “Wouldn’t it be great to have some ice cream? What flavor would be best?” It seems as though you are reading and anyone who observed you would determine that you were reading. You are looking intently at the words upon a page in a book – what else would you be doing? You are reading. That’s right. But your mind is focused on ice cream, by now you have even chosen a flavor and are visualizing yourself eating it. Yummy! So where are you? Are you reading or are you at the ice cream parlor savoring your favorite flavor?
Let us venture into another more example to ensure that the point well understood. It is an absolute blizzard outside and one is surely not adequately attired. One should be wearing a proper winter coat with warm insulated lining. But one is only a regular everyday jacket. The wind is furiously gusting and sending snow this way and that way about oneself. One is not there, however, it seems. In one’s mind one is actually on a sandy beach in the Mediterranean sipping Pina coladas or something other exotic drink. One can feel the hugging warmth of the Sun’s embrace. The wind is wafting gently as the breeze just seems to pass by. One cannot be sure if there is even any wind. One is seated on reclining chair sipping one’s specialty beverage. Is one on the beach or in the blizzard?
You decide where you are? Where is your mind at? Does it matter where your mind is right now? Does it matter what your current thoughts are? Will your thoughts at this instant in time determine where you really are in the construct of the reality of the world at some point in the future of your own life? Have you decided where you are? Is it where you want to be? What are you going to do about right now?
