Focus on Life™

Nothing to declare,
nothing to say,
nothing to hear,
nothing to think;

Only silence,
accompanying friend,
no one to miss,
no one to long,
lots of actions,
many memories,
tons of experiences,
nothing to look back for;

Nothing is the same,
everything is the same,
they are not relevant;

Just being,
no expectations,
no demands,
no claims,
no_thing;

From here,
always here,
from one moment,
to another,
observing,
registering,
no time,
just here,
right now;

No sadness,
no joy,
no feelings,
no regrets,
ready to leave,
ready to stay,
already being;

Calm,
relaxed,
smooth,
peaceful,
in harmony;

Empty Nest.

Facts are very important on our time. We live surrounded by
lots of information and knowledge. Most of the data around
us is not wisdom but more or less processed bits and pieces of
information. We are bound to make decisions and jump to
conclusions every day. Our understanding and perception is
limited, but still we draw conclusions. We pick sides and pres-
ent our truth as the universal one. Seldom, if ever, do we real-
ize that our subjective point of view is not shared face value by
anyone else. It is actually impossible, because everyone has his
or her own way of seeing and understanding the world. Our
own experiences and knowledge define how we interpret situ-
ations and items. Therefore, our own “truth” or rightness is
totally unique, subjective.

Still we assume that everybody shares the same values and
standards we do. Of course they understand things in a simi-
lar manner to the way we understand them. It is so obvious!
How can anyone not see the truth and the underlying issues?

This is why it is so easy to say that something is right or
wrong. We assume things that do not exist. Actually, it does
not matter, because everything is relative. What changes and
defines the value weighting are the assumptions out of which
the relative judgment is made. These we cannot explicitly
define and describe to others—they are embedded in us. If
only everybody had the same assumptions and objective facts
of the situations and issues, then we could consider making
value calls. This is not possible and, therefore, the world is full
of chaos and blaming. Everybody is right and wrong at the
same time—only in their subjective way. There is no objective
absolute truth from which to validate the real standing point.

Rightness is built deep inside us. We need to manifest
our excellence and cleverness. We want to demonstrate our
capabilities and knowledge. It is important to us to show
that we have acknowledged and understood the issue. We
want to gain acceptance and recognition from others.
Rightness is a very common and often hidden way of
achieving this. Seldom is it about the issues themselves—
they are just the means for the actual business of getting
self-satisfaction. Rightness is often about power struggle
and self-justification. We want to prove that we can win and
be superior to others, we were right!

A harder lesson to learn is how to acknowledge the right-
ness of a situation but let it go without having to prove it to
others. Another way to express this would be to say that we
feel that we have been mistreated or something is unfair. In
the situation, we did not have a chance to prove ourselves and
show what we regarded as the right thing or proper solution.
They may regard us as weak or stupid because we did not
claim our position and or stand up for ourselves. Few of us
have the guts and the wisdom to give way. The wise do not
have to prove anything. Being right itself serves no purpose. It
is totally useless and a waste of resources and energy. Why
bother with something we already know? Wouldn’t it be bet-
ter to focus on more important issues that bear real signifi-
cance? Next time you have an inner urge to be right, consider
why you are about to act the way you intend to act.Is it purely
to achieve the objective or, rather, to prove yourself?

To be right, to be wrong, and just to be. What is the right
way?

When are we very positively surprised and overwhelmed?
When something out of the ordinary and unexpected hap-
pens, something we have not thought about—something
fresh and new to us. This happens outside of our (previous)
experience and knowledge, and it makes us happy and joyful.
We would love to be more spontaneous, but it is so hard and
difficult. Why?

We love to plan things. It is great to think ahead and imag-
ine the details and occasions we want to accomplish and live
by. Planning is something we do naturally. Most of it is done
purely for practical reasons and for everyday routines. We
need to schedule and arrange our life in a way so we can take
care of our obligations and duties. Worrying is a special type
of planning—it concentrates on the negative issues and their
potential occurrences. We are not actually “planning” for an
occurrence, but being afraid and speculating about all the pos-
sible outcomes and issues that could happen. A positive type
of planning is dreaming. We dream about great things that we
would like to achieve and gain, moments and experiences that
we think would make us happy. Nevertheless, all of this is just
our mind game. Some of it is practical and necessary, but
most of it is a total waste of energy and effort. Actually, it can
prevent us from experiencing more and greater things than
we are ever capable of dreaming (or planning) about.

Our plans are derived from our experience and knowledge.
They project the future as we can imagine it. This makes the
future predictable and “ordinary” for us. We can imagine it
and dream about it—live it in our mind beforehand. It cannot
include anything that we cannot know about. Certainly it has
nothing to do with the reality. We have no means to plan the
future. Still, planning often makes our life “boring.” And it
makes it feel like every day is the same and repeats the same
patterns over and over again. No day is any different, and
nothing new happens. Sound familiar?

When we plan things, we are preparing to live according to
our plan, which means that we are not open for the moment
or anything new. We live according to our already thought
through plan, merely executing and implementing that plan.
Like robots that “think” what happens next and follow the
preprogrammed plan, we do not actually live in the moment.
This makes life boring and predictable. We “hypnotize” and
make ourselves believe our plan, and then we see and hear
what we want to hear and see—according to our own manu-
script—we create a catch-22. How can we experience some-
thing new if we always live according to our existing
knowledge?

Sometimes we run into an interesting person or do some-
thing crazy. These are the times when we live in the moment.
We are not planning but experiencing and letting life carry us
forward. Life offers us many great surprises and opportunities
every day, but we have to be awake and ready to acknowledge
them. Often we appear too busy or occupied to carry out the
daily activities we have planned and expected to accomplish
everything. But it is too scary not to plan. It implicitly tells us
that we might not be in control, something we prefer not to
experience. We would rather plan and know what to expect. It
is safer this way, even though often our mind creates the mis-
ery and sadness because we are too afraid to welcome some-
thing new. It is the unknown we are so scared of, that which
we cannot plan for or know beforehand.

This is the great step we have to take. Once we make it
over the threshold, we realize that all the worrying was for
nothing. Life actually becomes more interesting and exciting
when we are open for the opportunities. Plans are unneces-
sary because life often turns out differently than how we had
imagined it. Being free and living in the moment give us a
tremendous amount of energy to experience and observe
because we are not tied up in planning for the future. Reality
is an even better planner than we are; it is the only thing that
can give us positive surprises. We cannot plan our own joy
and happiness—and we are even less capable of planning to
surprise ourselves! Plan less and experience more. Is that a
plan?

Our existence is relative. We are only in relation to some-
thing. Nothing has any meaning or significance per se, unless
it is in relation to something. The world outside of us just is.
We give it the meaning and the purpose, and it has the signif-
icance and relevance we define and understand it to have.
Because our existence is evolving in the now time, this also
means that we create the world again and again over time.
Our perceptions and understanding change and, therefore,
the surroundings and the world have different meaning and
relevance for us at different moments.

Relativeness enables us to experience and learn more about
ourselves. It gives us the opportunity to compare and value
things. We give the world the meaning and, therefore, it also
reflects our perception and understanding. We live and expe-
rience life in relation to our own consciousness; it provides us
the measurement and the yardstick. To simplify this concept,
we would say we are the world and the world is us. Nothing
happens outside of ourselves—everything in the world has to
do with us. Our existence is based purely on gaining under-
standing and realization about ourself. Self-realization is only
possible when we put things into a relationship, and we can-
not realize ourself if there is nothing to compare to or distin-
guish from. Our individualism and separation ceases the
moment we do not need the concept of relativeness anymore.
Until then, everything is relative—and subjective.

Trust is about relying on someone, letting ourselves be vulner-
able and fragile, totally dependent on someone. It is a token of
something pure and innocent, a way of expressing confidence
and pure beliefs. Something beautiful and overwhelming.
Appreciation without apprehension. A bond that if you are
careful will last through almost anything, but with a misstep
can be broken as easily as any china.

Its strength is in its vulnerability. Its kindness and willing-
ness to sacrifice and be naked in front of the other grasp its
essence. Trust is something you cannot fake. Either you have
it or you do not have it. It can be built upon but once lost it is
almost impossible to repair. It is a fine line that is so easy to
cross and so hard to be noticed. Trust is like love. It’s up to us
to make the choice. By choosing to trust, you never lose. It is
not about the outcome but the intent. Nobody ever wins any-
thing if there is nothing to be trusted. Someone has to start—
why not let it be you? It is all about trust, and the final
outcome is not up to you.

Credit,

recognition,

consideration,

noteworthy,

but for what?

Something great and unique,
something noble and unselfish,
for a greater cause,
without any benefits or recognition,
for the one?

That’s something humble, opposite of pride.

Pride derives from lesser qualities
and needs for self-appraisal.
A quest for higher perception and
recognition for the actions,
deeds, that otherwise would be left
without a notice.

Pride is there where the subject
is more important than the object.
The process is preferred for
the outcome.

The one who just is,
do not need to acknowledge,
oneself for the others.
It’s enough to be
and just do.
The results speaks for themselves
and even them are not important.

No one to show off,
no one to see.
The prize for the humble,
but curse for the pride.

Masters never brag,
they simply are.
The ones who lack,
fill the gap,
by empty talk.

Why is the doer so important? Or, to be more specific, when
is the doer important? In most of the cases, the performer is
relevant only when we are doing it ourselves. We emphasize
the subject more than the actual deed or the doing process. In
brief, when we are the subjects it is very important but when
others are the contributors, we are not as interested.
Confusing?

This is very evident if we observe our own life. Just think
back to the last movie or theatre play you saw or book you
read. Who were the actors and authors? Do you remember?
Some of us have naturally better name-recall memory, but
still. We concentrate and focus on the substance itself and not
so much on the individual actors’ contributions and relevance
per se. A theatre play is a team effort for the overall atmos-
phere and experience combined from individual contribu-
tions. Similarly, the author creates the novel but for us the
storyline and the substance is the thing. When we are the
doer, it is something exceptional and unique but when others
do it, that’s a different case—it is something usual or rather
normal at least. The same applies when we are simply talking.
It is a rare skill to be a good listener because we often prefer
talking to listening. Listening is often the opportunity to
think what we are going to say next, isn’t it?

So why is it so important who is doing the action? In real-
ity, it is not relevant at all. The most important thing is the
deed itself and its effects. The only one who craves recogni-
tion is our own mind. Our mind lives from our attention and
focus. It needs our undivided notice and recognition of
importance. There are many words for this type of behavior:
greed, selfishness, vanity, ego, and so on. The doer is impor-
tant only in conditional and relative terms. If the actions were
totally selfless, the performer would be irrelevant. In all the
other cases there is some conditional reason or purpose for
the deed as a vehicle to something else. It does not serve a
purpose itself.

The world does not need the doers—only the actions.
Therefore, the doer is not relevant—actually it is only an illu-
sion. This imaginary performer is living only in our own
mind. We would still exist without it and perform the same
tasks and duties. The only thing missing from the picture
would be the self-appraisal and egocentric behavior. Who
needs them, anyone?

Goes back only a short while,
forgets,
ignores,
leaves blank,
the things we did,
and are not proud about;

All the experiences,
of misery,
darkness,
abuse,
hate,
fear,
and betrayal,
we have not committed,
if you ask from your memory;

Still something in you,
reminds,
and remembers.
It tries to give you,
hints,
tips,
and kind notes,
but often we leave,
those without a blink,
turn the blind eye,
and hide away;

Opportunities come,
and go,
to settle the accounts,
straight,
leave our mark,
and balance the past;

Persistence of memory,
hidden deep,
and hard,
not easy by far,
is to bring into sunshine,
the old dusty,
deeds,
we rather would,
leave and bury deep;

Our memory is short,
and not for trusted,
feelings and the body,
better guides,
for the light and
the record straight;

Do not waste time,
to settle the accounts;
Your feelings lead,
to the deep mines,
of your secrets,
and sides,
way back,
far away,
you should stay
—awake.

Money is just part of the framework. In itself, it is nothing. It
is only a convention between people. We have created the
concept called money in order to exchange and settle between
various activities and services. It is an enabler, not the purpose
itself.

Another way of defining money is to say that it is energy.
Notes and coins are energy in their physical material sense
because they are formed of atoms. But money can be seen as
energy concentration in another sense as well. Money pres-
ents, directs, facilitates, blocks, and absorbs lots of energy
from us. Sometimes we are tight with money and we are
struggling to collect every penny and cent to have enough to
survive. Collecting and getting money focuses and concen-
trates our mental and physical energy (effort) in the everyday
life, sometimes more, sometimes less. We might desire some-
thing that money enables us to achieve. We work hard and
long in order to collect enough wealth to do something with
it.In other words, we first absorb and accumulate energy and
then release it in some other form. While collecting and get-
ting the required amount of money, we are bound to make
choices and give up something else. We need to focus our
energy to gather money. In this case, money is a manifesta-
tion/representation of our accumulated energy.

Wealth can also demand energy from us. People who have
great amounts of wealth need to look after it. They have to
concentrate their efforts and focus to manage their wealth. It
creates obligations and liabilities. Naturally, it is up to us to
define these and live accordingly. This is especially demand-
ing when we do not understand the true nature of money and
wealth. Money may turn more into a burden than a facilitator.

Money is only what we make of it and how we place our-
selves in relation to it. It is neither a good nor a bad thing. It
is only a tool. The sole responsibility lies with the user of the
money. Do not mix up the means and the objectives. Money
is purely an enabler, nothing else. It does not define who we
are—only what we have. And everything we can ever have or
not have is only part of the framework. The real essence of life
is not about having, but about being. What is important is
what we are in relation to other living beings—not what we
are in relation to material things like money. A wise person is
the one who realizes this.

We are in the garbage-creation business. The products and
results are our own creation, and the consequences are observ-
able around the world. Most of the garbage is all in our own
mind. The dumpster in question is not a physical one in its
original form—its derivations can be, however. This huge
dumpster is called our mind. It’s the creator and initiator of all
the garbage. Simply, that is its pure existence and raison
d’être. How does this polluter work?

We live only in the moment—now time. Nothing else is
available to us. Nevertheless, we can do various things with
this now time but still everything happens in the moment.
For example, we can think back through our memories and
reflect on everything that has happened. We can also project
the future and wonder or worry about the next moments.
Still, all of these actions are happening in the moment. Our
sole decision is just how to use every moment. We can either
concentrate on the moment or opt for escaping from the real-
ity, either to our past or into the projected future our mind
creates for us.

There would not be any dumpster if we always live in the
moment. We would take life as it comes and make the neces-
sary decision as is required. Very simple, no worries at all.
Things just happen, and life would be only the issues that
emerge to us, some good and some less desirable—all the
same because we can only take them as they come.

The above is unfortunately not the way we live. We prefer
to be in “control.” Therefore, we have to know what happens
next. Otherwise we could not have this control illusion. How
much control do you have if you cannot predict the future
outcomes? Well, this is exactly the paradox. In practice, we are
not in control, but we believe we are. Our way of living is
based on the trick our mind plays on us. And the results are
the huge dumpster we are dragging behind us.

Our mind knows only what we know. It is limited to its
own boundaries and it is not objective where we are con-
cerned. It cannot exist without us. We produce the mind.
Therefore, it is also the one who creates for us the future—the
illusion of time in the moment. The mind works very simply:
It fabricates the future from our personal experiences and
knowledge. In other words, it extrapolates the past and the
current moment to the future based on its previous knowl-
edge. It’s very logical and nice; it’s also very real and accept-
able to us—after all, it’s a familiar future to us. We have
created it and can understand it. It is easy to accept and fall in
love with. How can we not like our own creation?

Our mind provides us with illusions of the future that we
take for granted and as true to us. These snapshots create dif-
ferent kinds of feelings, emotions, and sensations in us. The
mind projects usually either good or bad outcomes. The previ-
ous we dream about and the latter we are scared of or worried
about. These outcomes cause new feelings, and the snapshots
or pictures start to have existences of their own. They can also
create new outcomes and sensations in us. Often, the outcome
is that we cling to these illusions and feelings that arise in us.
We forget the actual projected route to the future moment and
see only the “prediction of the future. “Now it’s true to us. We
are sure it is going to happen, no doubt about it. It must hap-
pen. How horrible or how wonderful.

This is the moment when we produce the garbage. After
seeing the beautiful outcome we cling to it. This is something
we definitely need or want. Yes, no doubt about it. We are
urged to direct our actions toward this outcome. At the
moment we are not yet there but for us it is possible because it
seems so real for us, thanks to our mind. Now we have two
different points to compare: the current moment and the pro-
jected future outcome. An urge or desire has been aroused in
us. Now we know what we want. This can happen in various
of forms: greed, anger, frustration, jealousy, self-justification,
and so on, depending on our projection and the gap between
the now time and the imagined future. From this point
onward, we live in the moment only in a manner that is
directed and geared toward the outcome we illusioned. In
other words, we have accepted the future our mind projected
and are compromising in our principles and behavior in order
to make sure that the future will happen the way we desired it
to occur.

You still remember how all this started? Our mind fabri-
cated a future for us based on the experiences and knowledge
we have at the moment. It did not have any capabilities to
provide us any directions or predictions of the actual reality
that will emerge. Still, we believed the nice or horrible sce-
nario it provided us with and now we are living like if these
illusions are as sure things as our past memories. The compro-
mised garbage is all the things we produced in our mind and
now desire. These compromise and corrupt our behavior and
actions in the now time. Our mind offered us this great future
picture and catered the table with good reasons and justifica-
tions to make it happen.

We no longer observe the world as it emerges. We observe
and see the world only through the lenses our mind produced
for us. We expect our projections to happen. Disappointments
and regret emerge from the realization that the future
occurred some other way than we expected. We are not in
control. We could have even given up and sacrificed some of
our humble and noble principles in our quest to perceive and
“force” the illusioned reality to happen.

The compromised dumpster accumulates and reminds us,
thanks to our mind. It accumulates these memories and fabri-
cates more future outcomes. More garbage coming in—until
we catch the litter itself and get rid of it, just ignore it totally.
We give up our very mind and start living with mindlessness
in the moment. We take life as it emerges and base our actions
on the reality as it comes. What a fresh and pure existence!