In 1973 I was a student at Rice University. One evening I went to an informal talk by a grad student (or maybe a postdoc or young faculty member?) whose name somehow stuck in my mind: Reginald Smythe. A metaphor from the talk also endures: think of yourself as an outside observer, watching events unfold through a glass wall, as though you're seeing the world on television. That imaginary separation, Smythe suggested, would give you power and freedom, would keep you from being over-attached or immersed, especially during stressful situations.

In Pragito Dove's brilliant little book Lunchtime Enlightenment Chapter 3 makes almost the same point. The final section offers a short list of "Simple Reminders" that Dove proposes "... to help you cultivate the qualities of the watcher and reduce the noise in your daily life":

• Avoid watching scary movies or TV programs
• Walk two blocks down the street remembering yourself
• Imagine that you're a mountain
• Observe the mind as you would a TV screen
• Practice the art of doing nothing

Less noise is good!

(cf. IslandsOfStability (2002-04-28), and Lunchtime Enlightenment in Chapter 3, "Frogs Jumping from Lily Pads: Becoming a Witness to the Mind" The Watcher (2010-11-15), and in Chapter 1 Reinhabit Your Body (2010-10-27), ... ) - ^z - 2010-12-13