Distraction is a very modern but also, an ancient disease. Distraction can be as mild as daydreaming and building castles in the air, which does not cause a great deal of damage. However, distraction at the wheel of a car can have devastating consequences, and that too within just a second. It seems that many of us are being constantly distracted these days, by our cell phones. What we may not realise is that long-term mental distractions of this kind can gradually erode the ability to focus when we really need to. It may not be just our over-attentiveness to our cell phones, it could also be a distraction because a relationship has turned sour, or we have money worries, or the deterioration of the health of aged parents. These can all seem ‘reasonable’ distractions that we should be thinking about, but when we are not thinking about what we should be thinking about, then that is a distraction. This habit can take us ‘off track’ for a long, long time, and we only realise years later that we were moving far away from our destination. We need to become aware of and understand the cost and the price we may have to pay for these distractions.
Every moment of our lives are moments when we can accumulate happiness, peace, love, understanding and power. Weigh that against all the time we waste, and we can begin to see how important it is to remain focused on life. At the time of death, will we be able to say that we have used our lives in a worthwhile way and have no regrets that we could have done better? The power of accumulation is exactly the same as when we feel stronger and stronger through exercise, when things feel easier and easier and more and more fulfilling. We cannot, though, keep accumulating if we keep losing energy and power over and over again. We all have aims and objectives and when we understand the value of time in reaching those goals; we will resist the side scenes.
So where does this focus come from? It is in the complexity of concentration. Sometimes we become so busy in trying to control the mind, which is running off in all directions, but the focus is actually dependent on the yoga (connection) of the intellect. The mind and the intellect are faculties of the soul, the spiritual being within the physical body. There is a difference between the mind and intellect. The mind creates thoughts all the time, all day, every day. The intellect, when it is ‘awake’ or alert, has the power of concentration and the ability to discriminate and judge what is the wisest course of action. The mind just thinks and is full of emotion, the intellect manages those thoughts and emotions. If we visualise someone we care about, we use the intellect to do that. However, the moment the intellect focuses on that person then the mind starts to create thoughts about them, and these thoughts evoke emotions connected to the way the person is and how the relationship works. So, it is the ‘muscle’ of the intellect that we need to teach to focus wherever we wish for as long as we wish, and the mind will follow. This is the real effort, to resist the temptation to control the mind and to guide the intellect to focus where we wish, whenever we wish. In Rajyoga, the focus of the intellect is on the Supreme Being, a point of light and an ocean of all goodness. If we focus the intellect on that point of light, the mind immediately begins to create thoughts about the qualities of God, and there is then an exchange of love that brings power and understanding to the soul.
It is good to learn and practise creating focusing the intellect. Over time we develop the security of our dignity. Every effort in spirituality protects our dignity and self-respect, self-esteem, and self-trust. This becomes a shield so that nothing that happens outside can penetrate or change the way we feel about the self, on the inside. The mind becomes more peaceful, it can catch ideas, thoughts, and feelings and become aware of the wonderful synchronicity that is happening all around us, but only if we focus. We can really capture what the inner silence is telling us. To connect to the Supreme, we need a very quiet mind and a focused intellect, and then it is easy to let the distractions just pass us by.
Eric Le Reste is a journalist and producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and coordinates the activities of Brahma Kumaris centres in Canada.