Learning to Watch

We have learned many things in the process of growing up: walking, talking, riding a bike, biology, mathematics, social studies, and the list goes on and on.

But one of the most important things that we could ever learn, that is, to just be and keenly watch and observe the people and things around us, has rarely been taught in any traditional educational institution. It is ironic too, because with all the people walking around with their fancy degrees from fancy institutions, almost no one is taught what is arguably the most important skill that one can have; to be still and watch without being reactive.

And we human beings are the worse off for this too. It doesn’t take much to see how so much of what we do is purely reactive, and does not come from a calm or centered place. Much of our behavior is designed to defend our deluded notion of who we are, which for most people is ego pure and simple. If there is any thread that winds through the best of new age philosophy it is this: without being able to just observe in a non-reactive way, a human being is basically lost, and stuck at a very low level of awareness and consciousness.

Yet not only is this skill not cultivated in most, if not all, of our best educational institutions, but it is rarely acknowledged as even existing!

If you take a really close look at the animals in your house or in your environment, you will immediately notice how keenly aware most animals are in comparison to most human beings, who often appear asleep when they are supposedly awake.

I will never forget what happened one weekend when I babysat my friend’s chocolate lab puppy named “brownie.” We took a walk to the east river and sat on a bench, but there was a man on a bench ten feet away that immediately captured that puppy’s attention. This sweet little puppy who had been so meek and quiet the entire prior day I had him was beside himself barking at this man sitting on a bench ten feet away. What did this puppy pick up that was so dangerous? I will tell you: The man on the other bench was someone I had seen before living on the street, and was probably a crack addict. This puppy sensed something wrong about this guy immediately, without having the knowledge I had about him; it was truly amazing to watch.

When we as humans become more aware, we can sense things immediately too without having to have any actual knowledge- this is the beauty of consciousness. Try it and see.