LITMIR.BIZ

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he looked he could see the busy lives of these people who were constantly on the go, never taking a breather, never relaxing. He knew that, sometimes, life was like that, but the more he looked and watched, the more he could see. Suddenly, he understood. It was if he could see his inner self, his mind. It was as if, for a moment, the entire world was just one mind and that mind was God’s mind, because God creates everything. Standing there, he felt as if he was experiencing part of God’s creation with all of these people and all of the noises.

      An overwhelming feeling came upon him, there was just too much happening. He began to frown at the intense level of noise all around him, as he became more aware. The noise of everyday life was always there, but Ethan had never really taken as much notice of it before as he now did. It was like being able to hear the thoughts of everyone around him all at once. He wanted it to stop. There was so much noise.

      “Please stop”, he begged. “Just stop. Let me be.”

      He felt that he was in a scene in a movie that was being made about his life and that all he wanted, at that moment, was to be able to freeze-frame, pause the movie and just relax and get his bearings.

      He thought about God, about how, if God is the creator of everything, if he created the world, then he could imagine the world like the mind of God. If that was true, then what must God think of us when he hears all this noise caused by human existence? What must he think of all the chatter, prayers, questions, thoughts, language or inner beliefs?

      “You live in a world which is constantly go, go, go, move, move, move and do, do, do.”

      Suddenly, his voice was back, speaking to him. He had reached a bus station and now sat down on a chair and listened to his inner voice.

      “People are constantly thinking thoughts of this or that. Thinking thoughts about how are you going to do this, or how you going to do that? Thinking thoughts like, ‘Oh, I must go to the shop and get that loaf of bread’. And while they’re thinking about that they may also be thinking about going to the gym. They might walk into that gym, see somebody on a treadmill running with a TV screen in front of them, showing the news or playing songs. At the same time they’ve got their iPod on with ear phones, listening to music. So, they are running, watching TV, whilst listening to music, and possibly reading the newspaper at the same time! Distraction… distraction… distraction. Is this what life is about?

      “It’s a constant battle for your attention and your mind is constantly searching, looking for ways to be entertained. But these are all external distractions, which battle for your attention? Advertisements distract you, fight for your attention, fight for a piece of your mind. Are you being taken over by society? Is it conditioning you? Is somebody playing a trick on you? The trick is to distract you as much as possible, to invade and take over your mind because, the more you are distracted, the less you will know who you really are. I wondered if you are interested in this? Knowing who you actually are, that is, at the deeper level?”

      Ethan was experiencing all this as he sat there in the bus station and, as he did so, his awareness cried out to him, saying: “Stop. Take time out. Relax. Find out who you really are.”

      A film came to Ethan’s mind, ‘Bruce Almighty’ starring Jim Carey. In the movie, Carey’s character, Bruce, becomes God for a short while. During that period, he can hear all the voices of his people, and listens to everyone’s prayers.

      “God I want this.”

      “God I want that.”

      “Can you help my son?”

      “Can you help my daughter? My family?”

      “God I want to have a happier marriage.”

      “Now I need to be healthier.”

      “Can you help this person because they are sick?”

      Carey’s character is overwhelmed but, in real life, God is hearing all of these things. The average human being, science calculates, thinks 60,000 thoughts per day, thought Ethan. Now multiply those 60,000 prayers by the planet’s seven billion people. How many thoughts is it that God has to listen to daily? Ethan wondered. Did people ever really think about God? It was a simple but profound realisation Ethan was experiencing at that moment.

      He made an instant decision to get out of this city and, looking around the bus station, determined to travel towards a place called Hua Hin. Almost as soon as the bus began its journey southwards, he felt as if life was starting to slow down. When he reached the town, there was lots of hustle and bustle but it was located between the sea and the mountains and the nearby rolling hills were dotted with temples. Ethan knew it was easier to find yourself in nature, beside the sea, near trees, with birds and natural beauty. In this majestic place, it was as if Ethan had one foot in the hustle and the other foot in a world of bliss. He walked on the beach, taking in the local sights and just experiencing the area’s beauty. Hua Hin seemed an easier place to live. You could lie on the beach and slow down your lifestyle. It definitely seemed to Ethan to be a place where he could get in touch with himself and begin to calm his thinking. If he wanted to participate in the hustle of the city, its commercial side, then he could do that but it was a wonderful feeling to know that he could switch between the two lifestyles at will.

      But something within him was compelling him to travel further. Four days later he found himself on the move again, travelling ever southwards for endless hours through deserted towns, over rolling hills until it felt as though he had reached the edge of the world. And yet, he kept moving, understanding that, as the bus trundled southwards, he had embarked on a journey within himself and that, deep within his soul, he was developing a very personal relationship with himself.

      Onwards he travelled by bus, taxi and foot. He trekked through the mountains, slept on benches and finally found himself boarding a boat, which ferried passengers to the island of Koh Samui.

      By the time he reached the boat to Koh Samui, he had really begun to explore his mind and find out about himself. He was wondering about this journey, what it was all about, where it was taking him. The further he physically travelled, the deeper he descended into almost an eternal bliss. Yet, he couldn’t quite put a name to what he was feeling. All he knew was that he was excited, that he felt as though something special was about to happen. As the boat cut through the waves and got closer to the island, he could feel his excitement mounting. Endorphins began to flow through his body and the only way he could describe this feeling of excitement was to think of it as a moment of pure love. It was like a drug but, really it was just purity, just who we are.

      On the island, the road seemed calmer. There were lots of motorbikes but even the traffic felt different here, as though the island was much more relaxed. It was easy to get lost in Bangkok, but here you couldn’t get confused or lost. The roads were lined with palm trees and inner peace. His hotel was beautiful and its infinity pool led down to an exotic, white, sandy beach, bordered by an incredible turquoise sea.

      “I’m here,” Ethan thought, remembering the scene in the movie, ‘The Beach’, when Richard, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, first arrived at the island. Ethan felt this experience was similar to this and he uttered a cry of delight and excitement. But even as he bounded across the white sand, he was conscious that this journey had a purpose. He knew that his trip contained a hidden message. The more he travelled within himself, the closer he got to the inner voice and the more it spoke to him.

      “Sometimes life can be so busy, that you are unaware. Always busy doing things, busy hiding things. You constantly look for more, more, more. The consciousness of environment can touch on your consciousness and if you are unaware, your mind can be confused. In busy environments, if you are unaware, it can be easier for your mind to be taken over. Environment plays a huge part in the achievement of self-discovery and getting in touch with the deeper part of yourself. When you are around nature, near the sea, around birds, close

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