Dis-satisfaction, or suffering mentally or physically, stress, emptiness, and the inability to feel good on a permanent basis make us as a species desire distraction.
And in our brains that relates to a Dopamine surge (a chemical messenger) motivating rewards and motivation.
More importantly it signals that a behavior is worth repeating.
What this means in modern life for most of us is that we are controlled by this mechanism of obtaining short term rewards so that we get distracted or numbed towards the suffering and dissatisfaction we experience in our lives.
We are sold this every day by social media, by addictions to sugar, caffeine, excitement in one form or another.
And it is important to state that I am not referring to a reward you have set up after production is produced, goals attained, exams passed.
I am talking about the constant desire within us to keep being distracted by anything whereby we don’t have to confront the mundane awfulness of our lives. That feeling of entrapment.
So if you are going to get out of a trap you must first be able to name it, know its boundaries and observe it from a distance.
So the first noble truth is to understand and observe that suffering and dissatisfaction is part of our daily lives.
The second noble truth is that the cause of suffering is “craving,” “thirst,” and “ignorance”. For instance we desire things that are out of reach, we want more always, we desire power, prestige and fame. It can be sensory, food material things. The longing for attachment breeds suffering.
The third noble truth states that we should not be driven by these cravings or desires but work step by step to achieve an ability to be present with a sense of joy and compassion towards self and others and look for the middle path where mentally you see things as they really are.
Simply practice and watch the magic.
These steps, towards greater understanding of your constant desires, being somewhat out of control, will lead you through a path however winding towards real pleasure and lasting happiness.
And then you too can sit quietly for 5 minutes without needing a distraction.
Yours in Health John Keane Spinologist