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Words And Labels
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“When you don’t cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life that was lost a long time ago when humanity, instead of using thought, became possessed by thought. A depth returns to your life. Things regain their newness, their freshness. And the greatest miracle is the experiencing of your essential self as prior to any words, thoughts, mental labels, and images.”
- Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
I think the same can be said about how we deal with other people. When a friend tells you that someone you’ve never met is an arrogant person, try meeting that person. You are likely to adhere to that belief and it will be a continuous process of trying to either debunk it or keep looking for proofs that he/she is indeed arrogant. I have been guilty of that so many times. The funny thing is, there are times when I let go of descriptions of persons and just try to sincerely find out the person behind all these, we end up being friends at the very least. Sometimes people aren’t as bad as we think they are if we try harder to know them.
The mistakes we make with identifying people with certain characteristics is the same as how we think of ourselves, and corollary to that, I also I think that we do end up following the molds that we tell ourselves we fit in or we convince ourselves we are. For example, if you tell yourself that you are a shy person and no one will listen to you anyway if you speak, chances are you will be timid and quiet and won’t even try to express your thoughts and opinions verbally. In contrast, if you convince yourself that you are a happy person, somehow you will be happy and find ways to keep yourself happy. The mind is easily swayed like that.
But is it enough to follow these molds, labels, and identifiers?
I remember when I moved out for university, it was an entirely different world for me. I was far from the comforts of home, from the safety net of my parents, and not so accessible to what I hold as Me…as Mine. Everything was new! New city, new school, new acquaintances, new friends… I had entirely different sets of people I encountered on a daily basis. Whoa. It felt like I was floating in an unknown sea of “Who am I?” It was scary and yet very liberating. I thought to myself that I can be whoever I want to be! Of course, I soon found out that people perceived you on what school you went to, if you graduated with honors, what clothes you wear and if it was an expensive brand, what perfume you wear, how many shoes you own, if you can impress professors, and if you can cope academically, socially, and psychological in the lion’s den that is college life.
That time of feeling completely liberated was bliss, now that I think of it. And why? Because for a brief moment in time, it felt like I was free from any pre-conceived notions of me. I was just Me.
I just bought the book I mentioned above and it does make a lot of sense to me. It’s not an easy read and it presents some abstract and conceptual ideas. If you don’t pay enough attention, you will have to re-read again to grasp their meanings. It talks about Awakening. I’ve read about this before. It reminds me a bit of the book “Awakening The Buddha Within” by Lama Surya Das. The difference I think is that Tolle’s book seems more digestible. Or maybe I am just more open and understanding of all these ideas now. Maybe I’ve gained more experience and maturity. Admittedly, I read Lama Surya Das’s book at a a very confusing and trying time of my life, and meditating, looking inward and just being weren’t the easiest things to do and understand at the time.
I’ll talk more about Tolle’s book in the coming days as I read through it. Have you heard of it? Are you reading it? If you are, let me know what you think of it.
Discussion
3 comments for “Words And Labels”
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I finished the book last week. It seemed to bring together a lot of things I already understood into one book, with more clarity. I’d read and say, “aha, yes.” I’m so glad Eckhart has written this book that can be more digestible for the masses, perhaps there will be a new conscious awakening–it’s a place to start. I’m thinking about reading it again and I’m taking the Oprah class just out of curiosity.
Through reading the book, I’ve became more aware of the way I think, and I already see it manifesting in the way I deal with these thoughts. Also, I feel my breath more deeply these days and notice everything.
Hi there,
I like the quote you have given. It is so true that we look for things to prove our points/what we have been told, rather than to accept things as we find them. Over the last couple of years I’ve been learning that really it’s OK to just be, and to not have to be anything else. When I moved to a country I had never been to before, I did originally have difficulty because what I thought of this place did not exactly match up with the labels other people had given it. I then (subconsciously) started looking for things that proved me correct (oops!). That’s when I learned that everything is so subjective and personal, and whatever you think, life is so much happier if you just accept it all, and enjoy it for what it is. It sounds so simple and obvious, doesn’t it?
Let us know how you go with the book! I have added it to my book list…
Syd — Thanks for sharing. I signed up last week for the class and see how it goes. I’m glad to know you are getting good things out of the book.
Emily — I’m glad it resonated with you as well. It’s something so obvious, yet profound in some way. Like you, I moved thousands of miles away. After being accustomed to living how I lived my 18 years, I moved with my family to a different country with a different culture, pace of life and way of thinking. I’m a stubborn person, and I wanted to keep things as I was used to. Of course that was not possible. Once I accepted that and just let myself immerse in all the new experiences, life became so much better. I’ll keep you updated. :)