The Act of Being
By Lisa Templeton, Ph.D.
Published in July 2019 Luminous Wisdom: SOPHIA
To really work on acceptance, we must learn to just be. This is more than a mere slogan, it is a state of consciousness, a form of allowing, and a place of surrender. Being is about sitting in the energy of the moment, no matter what that moment offers. We must learn to sit in every moment we can. It is importance to develop tolerance in each moment. It’s why our species is called human beings, not human doings.
Still, we are living in a world that distracts and conditions us into doing, rather than just being. We can feel like we are caught in a whirlwind of human happenings in a busy world full of moments flying past. There are many people on their phones; looking up headlines, checking social media, etc., without taking much time to consider each moment that is surrounding them and how truly sacred each moment really is. Before we know it, another day is over and a new day of tasking is beginning again. We task and task and build excitement for the next time we can stop tasking and take a break, meanwhile forgetting the sacred aspect each moment offers us in getting there.
If we are only living around the doing, what does it really mean to be? To be is to actively dance with what is in front of you, no matter how bad the music. To be is to consciously focus our existence in the now and not fall into incessantly reviewing the past or conjuring scenarios of the future. To be is to surrender what you want to happen and receive what you are given. When we are here now, we are being.
One of the biggest obstacles in learning to be is conflict within ourselves leading to self-dislike. Who is there with you in every moment? It’s you of course! If you don’t like yourself, you will likely not enjoy each moment around you and will unconsciously do what you can to avoid it. Often times, we continue to plug away at tasks and get a lot “done” in order to get away from ourselves. Simultaneously, we become more disconnected from what it means to truly be ourselves, as we have forgotten how to be.
Take in this very moment right now. Can you sit and listen to what is really going on inside of your mind? Can you set your intent to be aware of whatever comes up for you in each moment? Our focus can be internal, noticing our emotions and thoughts, or it can be external, noticing the coolness of the air or the birds singing. To sit and listen to whatever music is playing is a good start at learning to be. We can’t truly work on letting anything be if we are not practicing the act of being.