Mind the Beginner

WOOSH, there we are again. It’s going so fast I actually typing this on Sunday. Better get crackin’ right away:

Average numbers of pageviews a day this month so far: 187 (period 8-1 till 14-8) Every so slightly lower than last week but still on track.

Number of subscribers to my RSS feed: 82

Where the traffic is coming from:The usual suspects, although you might think it’s getting old it certainly is not. A special mention goes out to Frugal Bachelor who put me up in his “good blogs I read” resulting in a small trickle of traffic. Although it might seem small he managed to get my attention and so I’m returning the favor.

What I have done this week to get my blog bigger and what I learned: Nothing, absolutely nothing. No lessons, nothing done to get the blog bigger. One lesson outside of blogging: paying attention to someone and really listening and caring for that person makes a whole lot of difference. Something we all know right? Something we don’t all practice though.

There is a huge gap between what we know/say we do and what we actually do. More on that later this week.

As I was walking down the street today I had a thought about something, I dug my smartphone from my pocket and started to look something up. Only a few seconds later a bicycle almost ran me over. “Look in front of you, in stead of at that thing!.” I followed quickly with “This is a pedestrian area!”… Okay, a fast response  and he didn’t counter it. I doubt if he realized he had a point there. 

The sun was shining, the fragrance of spring in the air… and I was concentrated on my smartphone. I quickly tucked it back in my pocket and started to look around. Earphones everywhere, a laptop set on a table outside a cafe, suits walking by while phoning. Everyone was more active in their own little plugged world than what was actually going on. I wonder if people actually noticed the nice weather and feint smell of flowers in the air. 

When getting home I went through the usual motions of flicking on the TV and my laptop because I had a great idea for a post, this post. Hang on a second, I’m writing about the level of “pluggedness” in modern society while I’m no better myself. How’s that for a realization during blogging. I wonder, what would it be like if I shut down all electricity at home for a few days. I wouldn’t be able to blog (the horror), no music except my acoustic guitar, which -come to think of it- I haven’t touched in months, no TV (well, that’s not a loss I guess). I would be deprived of every manner of influence from the media on my life. This sounds interesting…    ..but is life possible in the western world without internet, a computer, tv and a phone? I could live without TV easily, without a phone would be harder but doable. Without a computer with internet access? I don’t know if that’s for me just yet. Even if I were to go vagabonding I would bring along a simple laptop just to stay in touch. On the other side of the coin, I spend hours a day staring at a computer screen, blogging, reading, working. No computer would mean hours a day to spend differently. 

How do they survive in places without all those electronics? How do they spend their days? if they are not working they are enjoying each others company, talking, singing, making music. They spend time outdoor, walking, listening, watching. 

The pro’s of plugged life:

• Huge social network
• Always up to date on the latest scoop/news
• Vast amounts of information at the push of a button

The con’s of plugged life:

• Less social time in real life
• Information overload
• Feelings of failure because of all the “you should be like him/her to be successful” messages in the media

The pro’s of unplugged life:

• More here and now instead of there on that screen/in that earphone
• The addiction to social media will get less
• Happier with yourself (less negativity from the media)
• you start to see what really matters

The con’s of unplugged life:

• You might not be up to date (I like living under a rock from time to time)
• It’s social suicide not to have the latest gizmo (or so I’ve heard)
• You might seem “strange” to other people

This all being said, from time to time I think I’ll unplug for a few days and enjoy the real life right here. My life is being dominated with plugged life and I realized it just from almost getting run over by a bicycle. I’ve survived just fine for most of my life without a smartphone (online 24/7), so why not do it again. I don’t need it. 

How plugged are you?

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And again, when looking around I got a new idea for a blogpost. Inspiration is everywhere. I want to write a bit on attention. Or rather, the Japanese character of “Nen”. Which translates to “wish, sense, idea, thought, feeling, desire, attention”. 

The last time I talked with m Zen teacher he talked about this character and what it means. How can we distinguish quality? What is the difference between a work of art and a mass product. It’s nen, or the amount of honest attention, honest thought that was put into it’s creation. Just think about if for a second, can you tell just by looking at something if the one who made it was totally involved in making it? Or was he (or she) manually going through the motions and at the same time being somewhere else with their mind. 

My zen teacher explained all this through a chawan, a Japanese bowl used for the preparation and drinking of tea. At first glance some of the bowls look absolutely hideous. You can find some examples on ebay in the ebay store of Magokorodo. A gifted Japanese potter. (I’m not a customer or friend, I’m an admirer of his work and want to share it.) If you take a longer look however and don’t immediately dismiss them you start to see all the details, all the perfections and imperfections. A very delicate balance that takes years to master or perhaps even a lifetime. This nen is very subtle and because of that, most people don’t even see it or take the time to learn and see it. 

This one thing, this nen… is what distinguishes the master. In all Japanese arts (be it kyudo or ikebana) this is what they are trying to achieve. 100% Attention to what is right now, without the preconceptions. True beginners mind lets one be right here and right now and express attention. 

Can you find nen in a blog post? Of course you can, but not in every blog post. This is what distinguishes a good blog from a bad one. You can make or break a blog with nen. Put your mind into something and stand for it. Be responsible for what you make and do. Is something just “good enough” or is it really good? It’s in the details and the balance.

Anything you do, do it to your very best standard and look to improve your standard every time.