MonkeyChoke’s Writing Room

Attachment

Attachment is a phenomena which is seemingly the root cause of some of the world's worst atrocities, inequalities and cognitive dissonance. Human beings are pattern following animals; like all others. And as such, many people follow this same pattern of attaching themselves to their adopted personality, values and lifestyle, without questioning their origin or motives. This world is far more chaotic than some like to admit, and it is only a fluke of chaos that you are who you are, where you are. Ego-centric cognition would tell you otherwise, but don't be fooled. That trixy minx known as the ego is a real stickler for getting you to believe your set of parameters is special, and indeed permanent. This leads to a serious self-importance which does nothing but to dull the edges and turn down the colour of your perception.

This sentiment may come off as nihilistic, but that isn't the intention. Some people take the lessons from zen, buddhism and taosim as pointing to an exquisite nothingness; realising that in accepting the illusion we can absorb ourselves in the experiences of the present moment. Others, however, conflate detachment with nihililsm. And whislt this isn't especially important, it can have some serious repercussions when put into practice. They detatch themselves from experiences because it doesn't mean anything, so why get attached? In this, they become attached to detachment. A buddhist monk who is attached to celebacy is arguably on the wrong path; they are starving themselves of some of the greatest experiences this life has to offer, all because they are attached to the notion of purity….but who am I to judge.

See this can go on forever, dissecting attachments to detachments to attachments…but the trick is finding the middle way. When we find that balance between the ‘yin’ and the ‘yang’, when we embrace the chaos and the paradox; we can maintian presence whilst enriching our experiences. You would be well served to watch your thoughts, and get rid of ego attachment. “Oh you're a yogi now? You must be very proud”….got you! “Wow, you ran that race for cancer research?! well done” Got you again! That isn't to say those things are bad things to do, far from it, they're valuable experiences. It is to say that you should avoid attaching yourself to your ego.

Ego and attachment go hand in hand. And it is this combination that can be particularly destructive. Consider the inquisition, for illustrative purposes. Imagine they were in a moment in time when instead of attaching to dogma and spiritual rule, they were concentrating on getting rid of ego attachment. That is not a paradigm conducive to torture. But the fact of the matter is that attachment is a key component in Judeo-Christianity, and is the same reason why we are faced with an increasing need to enforce laws upon so called holy men. If Catholics weren't so attached to celibate priests, we might be slighlty less likely to have a mountain of human suffering at the hands of the highest levels of Catholic institution. But the attachment ingrained into Christian tradition is just one example of thousands; there's no shortage of examples of human nature in action.

It is often said that attachment is the root cause of all suffering; so next time you are suffering over something, question your attachment, and by playing with your perspective you might be able to help yourself. As for the bigger issues, you can't change the world, but you can try to turn it half a degree in the right direction. That half a degree comes from within you.

A Beginner's Guide to Meditation

Meditation is a broad term for a variety of ancient techniques, buried deep within many cultures throughout history. And there has been a new cultural seed sown out of necessity; our mental health, as a society, has vastly declined as technology exponentially grows. The more advanced we become - constantly accelerating our symbiotic relationship with computers - the more depression and stress proliferates. Our minds evolved from tribal life into the vast overstimulation of this modern era, and our mental health has suffered as a result.
This style of living has raised a big question for many people; ‘how can I be happy?’, how can you find some corner of quiet, where you can relax and step back from your anxieties and worries?

Meditation holds a very big clue in the puzzle of modern day happiness. By taking the small amount of time needed to learn a new skill, you can learn how to think properly, how to recognise where you are going wrong, what it is that's causing unnecessary stress.
But before I begin explaining some simple guidelines for meditation, I would like to point your minds in the direction of a question I asked for years. Does this actually work? Are you sure meditation isn't just for celibate monks atop cloudy mountains? Skeptics might see meditation as woo-woo nonsense, but they would be thoroughly wrong, as I was. There is nothing esoteric about meditation, it's benefits are guaranteed by science; leading to the new wave of ‘mindful meditation’ out of Oxford University, being praised for it's therapeutic benefits.
Meditation has even been shown, via an fMRI study; to tangibly improve brain structure over a course of 8 weeks.

Our minds are like pools of water, and each thought that pops into our head is like a small pebble. That small pebble makes a ripple, and depending on how well we recognise our thought paths, we might concentrate on that thought, leading to a magnification and multiplication. Our thoughts can consume us to the point where there are so many ripples that the pool becomes cloudy. By taking a ‘mindful’ approach we can recognise when we are ‘living in our heads’. Meditation isn't necessarily about putting a lid on your thoughts but by recognising them, we can slowly begin to reduce their frequency so we have a clear mind.

I'd like you to try a quick exercise. It's a gamble you can't lose. Spend just 5 minutes on the following and see how you feel afterwards. If you feel any different at all, try it again the next day. Each time you take a short break out of your day, the momentum of the benefits will increase. Think of it like a snowball effect; eventually you will meditate everyday not out of necessity or discipline, but because you feel better when you do. We all shower every day, we call brush our teeth, eat breakfast…but not many people meditate as part of their daily routine. In my opinion, they're missing out on some free benefits and comfort.

Sit comfortably, it can be a bench, office chair, cross-legged on a cushion. Whatever takes your fancy. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Begin to listen to your breaths. Don't try to control it, just in through the nose and out through the mouth. Recognise whether they are shallow breaths or deep. Feel the sensation in your stomach of rising and falling as you breathe in and out.

Next, letting yourself breathe as naturally as possible, take a mental scan of your body. Start from the top of your head and work your way down, noticing where you have tension, where you can feel pressure. Are you relaxed, or are you carrying aches from sitting at your desk. Are your arms heavy in your lap?

Now you have done a mental scan return your attention back to your breath. Starting on a breath in, count your breaths, slowly in through the nose and out the mouth. When you get to ten, start counting again. Try to use your diaphragm instead of your chest; this is how a baby breathes and is how your body is designed. Relax your stomach muscles, and your stomach should expand as your take air into your lungs.

You can stop counting your breaths but try to concentrate on your breath, if you realise your mind has wandered, just slowly bring your attention back to your breath. It is natural for your mind to wander, and over time you will gain better control over your concentration.
As the great Rickson Gracie said,"when you control your breath you can actually control yourself mentally and physically. You can really understand your fears and your emotional stress. Breathe, and be present.”

When you are practicing meditation it is natural for your mind to wander. Just bring yourself back to the present; mindfulness isn't the blockading of thoughts, but realising that emotions and lines of thought are separate from yourself, and that you can be an observer of your thoughts. By observing them we can let those thought bubbles pop.
This is a very basic meditation, but intentionally avoids over-complication. It should get you early results, and over time you can begin to expand your ‘meditationary’ horizons with further reading of your own. There are always local meditation classes and books where you can further your studies should you wish.

RoaringCrow
Monkeychoke, who is your audience? Your writing has a very “academic” vibe. Is that what you're going for? Or do you want a broader audience?

If you want to be more accessible, maybe try the following:
- Shorter sentences occasionally…like 3 or 4 words that go straight to the point.
- Stories, well told. Don't just assume I know about the Inquisition, relate to me a specific, bloody tale that really highlights your point.
- Add personal stories. Who are you and why the hell should I care about what your saying? Not your life story, but an anecdote that makes you accessible and real.

Does any of that help? I should add: I'm reading and writing from my phone so it's hard to double check what you wrote while I'm typing (or I'd try and be more specific!). Also, I'm not a writer, myself, but have spent lots of time critiquing various types of art, so that's where I'm coming from.

Good job just picking up the metaphorical pen and keep it up!

monkeychoke

RoaringCrow
Monkeychoke, who is your audience? Your writing has a very “academic” vibe. Is that what you're going for? Or do you want a broader audience?

If you want to be more accessible, maybe try the following:
- Shorter sentences occasionally…like 3 or 4 words that go straight to the point.
- Stories, well told. Don't just assume I know about the Inquisition, relate to me a specific, bloody tale that really highlights your point.
- Add personal stories. Who are you and why the hell should I care about what your saying? Not your life story, but an anecdote that makes you accessible and real.

Does any of that help? I should add: I'm reading and writing from my phone so it's hard to double check what you wrote while I'm typing (or I'd try and be more specific!). Also, I'm not a writer, myself, but have spent lots of time critiquing various types of art, so that's where I'm coming from.

Good job just picking up the metaphorical pen and keep it up!

Thanks for the feedback pal. I’ll try play around with those tips and see how it goes.
I’m not writing for any particular audience at the moment - just writing and seeing where it goes. I suppose I should probably decide on that, although it seems like unnecessary pigeon-holing.

I’m careful about adding personal stories. Here’s one to explain why ha; I first started writing in the midst of a manic episode and all of my writing was completely saturated by personal details to the point where it was incoherent. So now I’m in a mania-hangover of sorts and avoiding personal details. I’ll slowly try to trickle some personal details on top if you think it needs that.

Thanks again for taking the time to write feedback.