Mental Habitats: Multitasking
[Exploring Life] Multitasking is a form of mental degradation. We are not capable of working at several different tasks simultaneously. Instead, multitasking is really nothing more than the rapid shifting of attention across a variety of tasks in a vain attempt to accomplish more is less time. We do not accomplish more, and the quality of what we are achieving is often shallow when our attention lacks continuity and focus. Multitasking breeds sub-standard thought and awareness, and from the perspective of the mind it is a serious obstacle to concentration, communication, and creativity. In other words, multitasking is a form of mental degradation.
We live in an age that has been seduced by the need for immediacy. We have come to believe that volume and velocity are core values and an end unto themselves. Multitasking is a mental craving for immediacy. The fantasy of immediacy embraces the delusion that finding ways to do more things in less time is somehow important and meaningful. Multitasking results in the rapid deterioration of our awareness, and therefore the decline in our ability to think, communicate, and create. We have come to assume that if we are not constantly “busy” doing more and more “things” in as little time as possible then we are not accomplishing what we should be. The embrace of multitasking leaves us feeling both overwhelmed and exhausted. Our fantasy with immediacy leaves us feeling alone and isolated in the midst of a crowd.
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[Exploring Life] How many misleading or false beliefs and assumptions do we preserve in our memories? And how many of these false beliefs and assumptions have been assimilated as a result of cultural conditioning? It would be immensely difficult to conduct a statistical inventory of our memories in order to quantify the exact number of beliefs and assumptions we hold on to that are confining and perhaps even virulent. We cannot describe or locate the precise nature of a memory. Memory is an elusive phenomenon that remains hidden and mysterious to us. The contents of memory, the specific thoughts and beliefs that give rise to remembrance cannot be itemized and put on display. Our awareness of the memories that animate our actions is incomplete; we are not always aware of what we remember and how those remembrances influence the choices and behaviours.
[Exploring Life] Mental Afflictions- The Origin of Discontent: The purpose of yoga is to provide a pathway out of suffering. All suffering originates in the mind. The
[Exploring Life] The Five States of Mind: Pantanjali (2nd century B.C.) is a pioneer of the mind. The uncharted terrain he ventured into was the inner landscape of the mind. His method was the direct observation of his own mind. In this sense, Pantanjali was both scientist and artist of the inner realm of existence. The very essence of yoga lies is the contemplation of the nature of our mind. One of his main concerns in the Yoga Sutras was to clearly identify and describe problems that occur in the mind.
We interpret our experiences in life through a complex and often hidden network of beliefs. The human brain is a belief engine; beliefs are the apparatus and raw materials of the mind. They lie at the core of our emotions, determine our subsequent behaviour, and shape the course of our lives. In a basic sense, a belief is any thought or idea we hold to be true. In an ironic twist, however, the human mind is capable of developing impassioned patterns of belief that have no clear evidence to support them. In other words, we can passionately believe in something, perhaps even have faith in it, and allow those beliefs to determine the course of our lives in the complete absence of clear evidence to support their validity. In this darker sense, our beliefs have the potential hijack our presence and lead us astray – often without us knowing it. What do we base our beliefs on? What is the foundation of that which we hold to be true? of our beliefs, for it is through the expression of belief that we ultimately shape our destiny.
[Exploring Life] Grief possesses great agility. It emerges subtlety yet its presence is potent. Grief, I am beginning to understand, cannot be equated to more distinct states of being such as the quality of sadness that results from loss. The dimensions of grief are far more extensive in nature. Loss and absence are, of course, essential emotional experiences within the process of grieving but grieving transports our thoughts and emotions beyond this to intensify and invigorate our presence in life.
[Exploring Life] The word memory originates in the Latin memor meaning mindful or remembering. Memory is the ability to remember, recollect, recall, or revive a mental impression of a past experience. One common assumption about memory is that it is a mental ability we use to recollect the past with accuracy and precision. A person with a “good” memory will be able to recollect more accurately than someone with a less able memory. This perspective on memory is frequently related to the ability to accurately recall facts and information. However, the essence of memory is not limited to the mere recollection of facts and information.
[Exploring Life] In the Time Magazine article 
How much of our experience is driven by involuntary tendencies and habits? Understanding the nature and essence of habit in our lives is an essential task. Habits are both inevitable and unavoidable. They are a medium of perception; a complex network of filters that influence how we interpret and orient ourselves to everyday life. The effect of an involuntary pattern of behavior can be positive or negative. However, for learning to evolve we must be fully aware of and develop the ability to evolve the habits that influence us.