We were wandering through a remote bit of Belgian forest the other day, and happened upon this puddle, pictured above.
I know it doesn’t look much like a puddle, because I’m taking the shot from above and you can see the sky and the trees (and me!) reflected on the surface.
But have a closer look, especially towards the top right of the image, and you will see a staggering level of clarity in there. The finest dirt and dust particles have lain undisturbed for god knows how long, and the water itself has become almost invisible.
This is how our minds are, in their default state.
(As it is in nature, so it is with us.)
Now, if that water were to get disturbed (by e.g. a child jumping in it; something I forbade at the time) there would be no clarity. The dust—akin to our thinking, in this metaphor—would get all roiled up and the picture would become less clear.
We would be unable to see the big picture of that beautiful stony landscape, underneath the water.
Crucially, if we then wanted to re-establish the natural state of things (i.e. clarity) the only thing we could do would be to leave it alone.
You can’t make the dust (i.e. your thinking) settle any quicker.
To do anything in order to attempt to make that dust settle in the water… is just going to make it swirl around for longer.
So next time someone jumps in your puddle and you catch the mind creating meaning, telling stories, analysing and judging, just remember the puddle.
Let that thinking settle on its own, and you’ll get yourself clear—with perspective, wisdom and solutions to problems—in no time at all.
💟
Giles