What Would A Wise Person Do In This Situation?

 

"What Would a Wise Person Do in This Situation?"  This is the question I'm supposed to ask myself all week, and see what "arises."  See what "awakens" I guess is probably more the point.  And now that I think about it, it'll mostly be an exercise of simply becoming aware more than anything.  It's not that I'll necessarily have an answer for what a wise person would do, but I'll be aware of my surroundings and situation so that I'll actually be present and in the moment.  Aha.  I think that's it. 

Anyway, last night was my first class of Philosophy Works.  I'd seen the posters for it in the subway for years, and I finally decided it was time to act on it.  I guess advertising really does work.  And not only for me, but for practically everyone that was there last night, because it seemed that's how everyone was led there too.  So you see, the subway has finally done something good for me.  The subway brought me to a place where I can reflect on things and maybe even become more "wise."  Actually, the subway has been doing that for me for a long time now — always bringing me somewhere, and always giving me time alone to think about stuff, to pause in my day and really think.  Though "thinking" as we learned last night, is quite a useless activity as the mind is mostly a tyrant that just won't quiet down ever. 

And that brings us to the next exercise which is to "quiet" the mind and awaken the senses.  I'm supposed to do that twice a day for 2 minutes each time by just sitting still and observing all the senses.  Practice.  Do the work.  It always goes back to those two things everywhere in life, doesn't it?  Hmm…realizations.  So many realizations I come to daily.  But never as many as I could or should have as when I'm learning — learning about the world and myself, reading, opening my mind, accepting new things into my thought process, exploring, discovering…that's when I come alive.  That's when the senses truly start to awaken for me.  That's when I smile and say 'this is what a wise person would do.'  [Insert smiley face here.]