Push button people (for peace?)
George G Clark, 06 April 2008
We all have buttons which are easily pushed. We have become programmed to think, feel and act this way rather than that. We have fixed viewpoints about many things and we tend to impose our stereotypes and habits on the world. This means that in many ways we are robots – not much more conscious of what is going on than Pavlov's salivating puppies.
The buttons come in a range of sizes and cover all aspects of life. At the top end we have preferences for political party, religious persuasion, and supermarket ambience. At the bottom end we have preferences for ways of taking tea, for which pocket to keep the car keys in, and for which shoe we put on first[1].
The buttons have their causes and conditions. Some are due to our hard wired nature while others are nurtured by our culture and chance personal experiences. Some are of the head while others are of the heart although it is not always easy to split the two. Some appear to the conscious mind but most come from the unconscious such that 'you' do not normally notice them kicking in.
SO, are we doomed to be robots; push button people? The simple answer is NO!
We have the option of being mindful and aware. We can bring the push buttons into the light of conscious awareness and thus be free to break the link between the stimulus and the response. This may be a tough road to travel but it leads to freedom, authenticity and peace.
To practice this kind of freedom you have to make time to notice what is going on in your mind. It is as if there are two yous. One reacts like a conditioned robot while the other watches as a free witness. When the witness is in the forefront of consciousness there is 'space' where you can consider other viewpoints and possibilities, and where you have the freedom to choose between them.
Freedom means not reacting automatically when a button is pushed. There are two main options for consciously responding. The first is to notice that the button has been pushed, smile at the situation, and let it go. The second option, if you have the time, is to coolly reflect on the causes and conditions that link the button to its response; in this way you develop deeper insight into your patterns of conditioning.
This is not an easy road to travel. Your comfort zone will be dis-eased when you upset your routines and habits: at least at first. But the world's mystical traditions all report that those who push through come to know what Christians call the peace that passes all understanding. This might be what John Lennon meant when he suggested that we give peace a chance. It is clearly what the Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn means when he talks of creating true peace:
"Peace is not simply the absence of violence; it is the cultivation of understanding, insight and compassion, combined with action. Peace is the practice of mindfulness, the practice of being aware of our thoughts, our actions, and the consequences of our actions. Mindfulness is at once simple and profound. When we are mindful and cultivate compassion in our daily lives, we diminish violence each day. We have a positive effect on our family, friends and society." (p5)
This suggests that by taking thought and making an effort we can reprogramme ourselves and become push button people for peace rather than for consumerism and war. How about you, are you going to give peace a chance?
[1] You might like to watch yourself doing ordinary things and noting the habits that are involved eg the pattern of movements as you brush your teeth
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