Someone mentioned to me recently about how we need to guard our sense gates.
Sense gates is a Buddhist term and my interpretation of it is that we have our 5 senses (6 if you also include the mind), and that we have these gates for each of them. And you have a choice of what you allow in through these gates.
That struck me as being very powerful.
With all of the turmoil going on in the world, we can feel very overwhelmed, like everything is outside of our control.
Now there is a LOT going on at the moment. And if you spend any amount of time online, you are probably aware of pretty much every bad thing that is happening in the world.
I was listening to someone on the radio recently and she said, that we no longer look up things online. We are fed information.
That has stayed with me because I certainly know in my own case, this is so true.
How often do I look at my phone and scroll through the news? A LOT!
What is being presented to me is what the algorithm has chosen.
(Btw, if you want to know more about algorithms and how they work, there is an excellent chapter in the novel Wellness by Nathan Hill. It really will make you think twice.)
But we do have a choice.
We can choose not to doom scroll. We can choose to limit our time on certain sites.
I’m not saying that you have to cut yourself off from everything – but do you really need to be ‘on’ all the time?
Also, think about what you are putting out in to the world.
Like a lot of people, I am on WhatsApp.
Recently, I asked someone not to send me on their images and gif’s of a certain world leader who I am not a fan of.
He really doesn’t need any more of my attention. So think about what you send out also.
Remember, that you are precious so choose to treat your senses like they are precious too.
Too often, there is no bouncer at these gates, so everyone and everything is allowed in – but do you really want all this clutter occupying space in your being?
A thing that you can do each time you reach for your phone, or look or listen to the latest thing – ask yourself, does this make me feel better or worse?
It really is that simple. Once you have the answer then you can make a decision whether or not to let it through your sense gate.
Maybe check in with yourself at the end of the day, and see how you have managed them. Is it what you wanted? And how could you do things differently?
I’m still very much a work in progress, and know that I can do much better on this front.
Let me know how you get on with all of this. I’d love to hear from you.