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.
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Acceptance is such a simple word-but is something many people find difficult to put into practice. It is especially useful to be more aware of this as the holiday season engulfs us, because we often find ourselves thrown in with people from our past, and that can get dicey.

A few years back I heard of this rule that somebody was living by, and I was very intrigued. This person made it a practice to never talk about something that happened more than two weeks ago- that was the limit. The goal was to steer each conversation into the present , and the immediate future, as much as possible. I have tried to do the same thing since I heard about this. I have succeeded for the most part, but there are times when somebody else insists on talking about something that occurred years ago. When that happens, I try to bring things back to the present by saying "that happened too long ago," or, "I can't see where that is relevant to this situation," or if that doesn't work, I might say, "I am really not comfortable talking about this."

If I am insistent and graceful enough, I can usually steer things back to the present by one of the above methods, but not always. And the more I practice doing this the better I get. I like to think that by making more of an effort to be in the present. I am more accepting of whatever occurred in the past. After all, I am reminded that whatever occurred in the past, I am powerless to change it. The only real choice, other than constant churning, is acceptance.

My increasing acceptance of the past has not only rooted me more in the present, but has given me more faith in the future too. Since I am less prone to invest anything that occurs with too much energy, I find increasing clarity about the future. As a result, my immediate choices seem more effortless, and things often have a synchronicity about them that is uncanny. I have also observed that if things don't go "my way," whatever that really is, it is no big deal: I can let it go much quicker than before, and other, even more appealing options, rapidly appear .

I can honestly not say enough good things about accepting what is immediately available to me in my life. What has been your experience with this?
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