> Having tossed the "consciousness" meme out yesterday, I'm going to toss
> the flip side of that coin out today, and see what you think...
>
> Ultimatly, I think that the best way to "have a good time" in this world
> is to let yourself experience things without thinking about experiencing
> them. No throughts like "gee... I'm having a good time now" because
> ultimatly such thoughts only take away from the pleasure of the
> experience. In trying to quantify and qualify the experience, you
> become an observer of yourself (consciousness) and then cease to be a
> participant in the event. Thus robbing yourself of it.
Reminds me of the (stereotypically Japanese) tourist who is so busy
taking pictures while he's on vacation that it's hard to imagine that
he's actually seeing the things he's so busy documenting.
My maxim is that somebody else has already taken a much better picture
of this building, vista, waterfall, or whatever than I will ever be able
to capture with my feeble skills and equipment. If I ever want to see a
picture of this photogentic attraction, I can buy a post card or call it
up on the web. Better to just take a deep breath, let it out slow, and
let the sensations of the moment make an impression on my
consciousness. I can't say that I really silence my internal dialog,
but I'm no Zen master. I'm just an amature pornographer who's still
workin' for the man. Speaking of which, my internalized voice of
authority is telling me to get back to that endless influx of customer
e-mail. Take care, all. -KMO