To be, not to do

The art of being is learning to let go of the external and embrace the internal. Discover how to cultivate a deeper relationship with self.

- MARIE ROWLAND

The French philosopher René Descartes coined the famous saying, “I think, therefore I am” to provide a discourse on existence. Nowadays, we could say, “I think, I worry, I text, I post, I react, and, in fact, I never stop and therefore I am exhausted.” Life has sped up and the time for reflection has given way to the age of activity. Activewear, digital activity, interactive, overactive and it has come at a great cost to the human experience. Nowadays very little self-actuality occurs in our lives as it would mean we would have to press pause for even just a moment. So what if we just stopped doing to just be? After all, we are human beings.

Being is a doing word

It is highly likely that you’ve been asked as recently as yesterday the question, “What are you doing today?” Humans have been conditioned to always be in motion, doing something, being productive or active. When meeting someone for the first time, odds-on the most likely question you’ll ask or that will be posed to you is “What do you do?” referring to the job you have. Imagine if you answered by saying that you take deep breaths and contemplate life or that you take long aimless walks with no destination in mind or that you sit in lotus position most mornings? Your answer would most likely be received with a blank, even quizzical expression.