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Automatronic Lifestyle

I have been giving it a go this week and thus far I have felt pretty much average. Average, you may recall, seemed a distant memory for a long time. How am I accomplishing said? Well, I have adopted what I have called an "automatronic lifestyle". In this effort, I have deemed THINKING the enemy. For as much as I am able to, I am trying to shut down my thinking process and become more of an "experiential" sort of person.

One area where this has shown benefit is in my sleep. For the last several days, I will go out onto the back deck at night (typically the last few days around 12:30 or 1:00am), about 15 minutes or so prior to my wanting to head to bed. I will have no lights on, and the only ambient lighting is from the moon and stars (if present and not obscured by clouds). I will have a pipe with me, and will purposefully sit and work at turning OFF my mind. I work to stop the analysis and the questioning that was a part and parcel of who I am. I strive to shut it OFF. Outside, with pipe in hand, I instead attempt to have my mind become aware (not analyze, but simply become aware) of my surroundings. I feel the breeze, I feel the coolness if it is cool, the heat and humidity if it is warm. I guide myself to become more aware of the senses stimulated by my briar pipe. If it is raining, I feel the rain upon my body. I allow my eyes to become mere windows, no longer tools for observation and analysis. Instead I simply have them open to the picture before me of the expanse of the back yard.

In these few days of trying this technique, I have been able to acquire sleep more readily. The nightmares have also declined somewhat in both frequency and intensity. So, it appears to be a valuable technique.

I have also strived to decrease THINKING in my day-to-day life as well. While 100% success is, of course, impossible, a decrease as much as is possible may provide similar benefit. In the few days I have engaged in said, I have not had as much emotion or drama in my mind or life. Perhaps this is akin to the "Let it slide..." mantra that was semi-popular in a part of the mid-1970s.

Thinking may indeed be the enemy. Perhaps just meandering through life without a thought or care is the key to happiness?

PipeTobacco