{"id":1287,"date":"2011-05-07T12:03:53","date_gmt":"2011-05-07T16:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=1287"},"modified":"2011-05-12T08:00:45","modified_gmt":"2011-05-12T12:00:45","slug":"waking-up-is-a-revolutionary-act-a-manifesto-for-mindful-living-part-two-put-yourself-in-context","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/waking-up-is-a-revolutionary-act-a-manifesto-for-mindful-living-part-two-put-yourself-in-context.html","title":{"rendered":"Waking Up is a Revolutionary Act: A Manifesto for Mindful Living, Part Two: Put Yourself In Context"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I alluded to in the entry,\u00a0The Mindfulness Revolution<\/a>, any good revolution needs a manifesto. So here it is, part one of ten. There is a book out called the Mindfulness Manifesto and I confess that I haven’t read it. Here is my version. To adumbrate, here are the ten chapters that comprise it:<\/p>\n

\n
    \n
  1. \n
      \n
    1. \n
        \n
      1. Start Right Here, Right Now<\/li>\n
      2. Put Yourself in Context<\/li>\n
      3. Put That Big Brain to Good Use<\/li>\n
      4. Get Beyond Yourself<\/li>\n
      5. Be Good<\/li>\n
      6. Embrace Change<\/li>\n
      7. Practice\u00a0Happiness<\/li>\n
      8. Attune, Resonate, Integrate<\/li>\n
      9. Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid<\/li>\n
      10. Be Self-Reliant<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/blockquote>\n

        2. Put Yourself in Context<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        The universe has been around for a while; the Earth too. Billions of years. Time before time.<\/p>\n

        The earth is 4.5 billion years old. The universe is 15 billion years old. Modern humans have been around for approximately 100,000 years. We are one of the 20 humanoid species to survive. If you do the math, humans have occupied only fraction of a sliver of time on this planet.<\/p>\n

        Despite our insignificant place within the cosmos we take ourselves so seriously.<\/p>\n

        The universe and Earth will carry on without us, even if we manage to do some catastrophic damage to it. If we don\u2019t wake up in some collective fashion, and soon, we\u2019ll probably ruin the party for everyone and everything else.<\/p>\n

        In the movie, Contact<\/em>, the main character Eleanor Arroway considers the one question she would ask an alien intelligence, should she have the opportunity to meet them. She replies, \u201cHow did you do it? How did you survive your technological adolescence without destroying yourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n

        For our individual selves, the same contexts apply. We have the context of our entire life and this moment is just a sliver of a fraction of that. Do we need to take it so seriously?<\/p>\n

        Can we do this? We\u2019ll see. Perhaps if we don\u2019t take ourselves so seriously and considered the broader context and weren\u2019t so fixated on being right (instead of just being), then we\u2019d have a better chance.<\/p>\n

        Each moment that goes by when the stars are just faint images in the background or a quaint romantic notion we are asleep to the bigger context that holds us. Each moment that we turn away from the sky we become disconnected from the arc of the cosmos. When our vision extends to the tip of our nose, we die to the trivial, lost in our stories of me and mine.<\/p>\n

        Consider this context: Some how over billions of years life evolved on this planet and to our knowledge as of yet, nowhere else. Consider further that our\"\"<\/a> particular configuration of biology can consider itself, contemplate its own existence, study itself and other things, understand it to some degree through science. This set of facts should just blow our minds everyday, yet how often to we consider this precious and fragile set of circumstances?<\/p>\n

        Of course, we don\u2019t want to spend all our time being in awe of the larger context, we have things we need to get done. What I\u2019m suggesting, inviting, even demanding is that you spend at least some time every day recognizing what it means to be a human being.<\/p>\n

        Our brains like to take things out of context and make a big deal out of something. When we take a perception, judgment, even fact out of context it can lead to distorted interpretations.<\/p>\n

        Recognize where you are in space and time; place yourself in your body and notice how this body is in constant exchange: air, water, food with the world around it. And, of course, there is social exchange too.<\/p>\n

        Awe should arise from this contemplation. Gratitude should arise too. See if you can bring a trace of awe and gratitude into your next meeting, into your next conversation. Perhaps this awe and gratitude can squeeze out the rumination on whatever story you are currently preoccupied with.<\/p>\n

        The vastness of the Earth and the universe can be appreciated by a mind that can become vast when it relinquishes the banal (\u201cDoes she like me, Am I getting enough?, Will things go my way, Will I have to be uncomfortable (God forbid I have to be uncomfortable, that should not happen to ME, and I must avoid it at all costs) \u2026 \u201c)<\/p>\n

        We are all just fleeting specs of dust in time. Don\u2019t take yourself so seriously!<\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/a>Waking Up is a Revolutionary Act: A Manifesto for Mindful Living was inspired by\u00a0Experience Life magazine<\/a>, Editor-in-Chief, Pilar Gerasimo’s, articleBeing Healthy is a Revolutionary Act: Renegade Perspectives for Thriving in a Mixed Up Worl<\/a>d, and its accompanying A Manifesto for Thriving in a Mixed Up World<\/a>. Visit\u00a0http:\/\/RevolutionaryAct.com<\/a>, the website devoted to\u00a0Being Healthy is a Revolutionary Act: A Manifesto for Thriving in a Mixed-Up World <\/a>and download your own copy of the manifesto and join the movement! Read more about\u00a0Experience Life her<\/a>e.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        As I alluded to in the entry,\u00a0The Mindfulness Revolution, any good revolution needs a manifesto. So here it is, part one of ten. There is a book out called the Mindfulness Manifesto and I confess that I haven’t read it. Here is my version. To adumbrate, here are the ten chapters that comprise it: Start…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,8,9,10],"tags":[98,102,100,103,101,104,99],"class_list":["post-1287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-awake-at-work","category-buddha-beat","category-mindful-living","category-mindfulnesss","category-spider-mind-world-of-interconnections","tag-being-healthy-is-a-revolutionary-act-a-manifesto-for-thriving-in-a-mixed-up-world","tag-cosmos","tag-experience-life-magaizine","tag-human-history","tag-pilar-gerasimo","tag-taking-yourself-seriously","tag-waking-up-is-a-revolutionary-act-a-manifesto-for-mindful-living"],"yoast_head":"\nWaking Up is a Revolutionary Act: A Manifesto for Mindful Living, Part Two: Put Yourself In Context - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2011\/05\/waking-up-is-a-revolutionary-act-a-manifesto-for-mindful-living-part-two-put-yourself-in-context.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Waking Up is a Revolutionary Act: A Manifesto for Mindful Living, Part Two: Put Yourself In Context - Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As I alluded to in the entry,\u00a0The Mindfulness Revolution, any good revolution needs a manifesto. 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Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1287"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1305,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287\/revisions\/1305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}