Yesterday, I went SCUBA diving for the first time. I really appreciate my instructor, Cesar of #CaribbeanDivers. Besides being a knowledgeable and patient person, he also shared with me a unique perspective on humanity:
He said that in his 25+ years of being a diving instructor, with over 14,000 dives in his lifetime, he's noticed that some people take to the water more quickly than others. His hypothesis is that it's due to how familiar people are to change. Whether that change is moving to a new neighborhood, starting a new job, or traveling.
He feels like adaptability is one of the most unique and important characteristics of human beings. Our minds can take novel situations and turn them into the new normal. Which, to be fair, can be unfortunate when it contributes to the Hedonic Treadmill. But when it comes to being ok breathing out of tube sixty feet underwater, you have to admit, the mind is a pretty neat tool.
Sometimes I over-identify with my mind and forget that's all it really is -- a neat tool. It's here to help me move this meat-sack around this planet, process sensory inputs so I don't bump into things, and solve logistical puzzles like how to make a PB&J sandwich.
It's easy for Brain to start calling the shots, or to take up more than its fair share of talking time. It's important to sometimes tell Brain to quiet down and chill the eff out -- that it's Heart's turn to speak for a little bit.
Poor little Heart. Sitting there patiently with its hand raised, quietly waiting to be acknowledged while Brain jabbers on about some cool new fact it learned about the world. But when Heart speaks, it always says something profound and worth listening to.
From The Alchemist: “Why do we have to listen to our hearts?" “Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure." "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer." “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”