When you look at a flower, what do you feel? How does the weather make you feel right now? Try to really tune into what’s happening around you. Sounds easy, right? But most of us struggle with this. We’re quick to label our experiences. We see a flower and instantly think “beautiful” or “nice”. But are we really feeling it? Or are we just lost in our thoughts?
In the past, people were more in tune with their senses. They had fewer words cluttering their minds. They could taste their feelings. Love felt sweet, while tough times left a bitter taste. They literally tasted their feelings, and that’s how we got these expressions.
But as we’ve become more educated and expressive, we’ve also become more outwardly focused. We’ve replaced feelings with words. Life is happening more in our heads and less in our hearts. When something happens, we’re quick to think and talk about it. Our minds are always buzzing. There’s no silence.
This constant chatter is making us more anxious. We’re not living in the moment. Everything is about words and thoughts. We’re not really feeling our lives. So, try this: next time you’re eating or doing something, pay attention to your thoughts and focus on your feelings. Really feel them. How does a color make you feel? How about a smell? As you become more aware of your feelings, you’ll become more conscious of the world around you.
The idea of “Sensing, Not Thinking” is about getting back to our basic experiences. It’s about connecting with the world around us through our senses, not just our thoughts. It’s about feeling the world in its purest form, without the clutter of thoughts and judgments.
This isn’t about rejecting knowledge or thinking. It’s about balancing our thoughts with our feelings. It’s about valuing silence and stillness. It’s about understanding that our thoughts and words aren’t the only ways to experience the world. Our feelings and senses give us a more direct, more intimate connection with reality.
So, next time you see a flower, don’t just label it as “beautiful”. Feel its beauty. Feel the softness of its petals, the vibrancy of its colors, the scent of its fragrance. Let these feelings fill you up. In that moment, you’re not just looking at the flower, you’re experiencing it. You’re living it.
“Sensing, Not Thinking” is about living more fully. It’s about getting back to our true selves and our ability to feel and experience life in its fullest form. It’s about quieting the chatter in our minds and being present in the moment. It’s about tasting the sweetness of love, the bitterness of sorrow, the warmth of joy, and the chill of fear. It’s about being fully alive, fully human, fully present.
So, let’s start this journey of self-discovery. Let’s learn to feel again, to experience again, to live again. Let’s learn to be silent, to be still, to be present. Let’s learn to taste our feelings, to savor our experiences, to cherish our moments. Let’s learn to live not just in our heads, but also in our hearts. Let’s learn to live not just through words, but also through feelings.
