When we stop and pay attention, we are not what we always seem to be.

Our “storyline”– the construct of self- a series of beliefs, thoughts, opinions, positions, etc., conditioned over time, and fragmenting us from ourselves. Chimera relates to a “virtual self” separating us at times from our own true nature, and tormenting us with periodic conflict- to be what we conceptualize ourselves to be, but disconnecting from who we may truly be. Internal conflict is a common manifestation of the struggle between a “self” of mere appearance and one of its own natural substance.

It is this fragmentation of “self” that causes us to live removed from what inherently drives our species to grow and develop as one interconnected race of human beings- and it is the all too often intrapersonal and interpersonal conflict that causes us much distress and dis-ease. A shift- a change in consciousness of this ever-present fragmentation starts with mindful awareness of its presence. Our gesture to hold this awareness ultimately reveals a different dimensionality which affects our attitude, orientation, and actions to reconnect with what has been missing in our lives. It is this awareness that gives us back to ourselves and to the wholeness of our lives- not its separation or its fragmentation.

The greater our mindfulness- the greater our awareness, and the greater the potential for penetrative insight into the constructs of “self”- the chimera and the illusionary nature of what we reify to be a habitually integral part of how we project ourselves onto the world. Today, this penetrative insight may be more critical than ever as much of our world projects a common reality where perception appears bound to appearance. We appear captivated by the dramatization of people’s “storylines”– the larger than life the better. What was historically very personal and intimate is now very public. We struggle with identifying and discerning where there needs to be clear boundaries. Ethically and morally, we struggle to put forth the “right effort”– this in part as we have become so fragmented and removed from the essence of our natural “goodness”. Do we really know what truly matters, and do we really care? Has human empathy and compassion been reduced to an outward expression of appearance? Do we feel only for the sake of feeling, without real intimate connection with all the embodied sensations surrounding this quality of heart and this state of mind? Truly, if this were the case, wouldn’t we be less prone and less likely to cause harm to ourselves and to others?

It is not enough for us to find contentment through inhabiting only the surface- the appearance of our lives- the propaganda and storylines of our lives. We cannot possibly aspire to be complete or whole by simply accepting the appearance of things in either our interior or exterior landscapes- this remains disturbingly superficial and unsatisfying. Our quasi-comfortable explanations for ourselves about how things are and why they are that way seems troublesome given modern day circumstances. We need to awaken our senses and stop coasting on habit. We need to start touching our moment to moment experiences with more intimacy and care- with sentience- with wise perception and conscious knowing; to see clearly  where our separation and fragmentation lies; to stop pretending and start being with the essence of one’s self; to be comfortable in one’s own skin; and to discern what lies below the surface of appearances is discovered through mindful awareness.

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