Absorbed in the Content of Our Lives

5 min readMar 15

Reflect in Place, acrylic on canvas created by artist Michelle Lindblom

The Greater Good Versus Individualism —

“The collective disease of humanity is that people are so engrossed in what happens, so hypnotized by the world of fluctuating forms, so absorbed in the content of their lives, they have forgotten the essence, that which is beyond content, beyond form.” — Eckhart Tolle

It is as if we are all hypnotized into playing the video games of life in which we cannot retreat. And in this 24/7 culture it’s no wonder we have difficulty dialing it down and tuning it all out. The pandemic did wonders for many wanting to get off the train, but needing a hard push to make it happen.

I believe and have personally experienced the importance of being alone with just my own physical being and thoughts. This did not just happen because of a pandemic. I have appreciated my solitude since I can remember and have become a consummate observer of things because of it.

Content and What Constitutes Moving Forward?

Obtaining possessions, degrees, accolades, etc. provides a way to move forward but are we really moving? Eckhart Tolle mentions that absorption of content overwhelms the essence of what is beyond those belongings. We deny daily what really matters beyond the materials we acquire. This may not be our intent, but there is a slow and unconscious descent into that black hole of “swirling stuff”.

Reflection becomes our savior, but standing still in silence and observation is not a productive use of time within our “on the move” societal mentality.

Let us consider how many 40 and 50 year olds field the question, “What am I doing and/or why am I no longer satisfied with the content of my life? It has happened to me with each passing decade. A forced reset, so to speak. And it does not necessarily come alongside a major life event. My intuition reveals these philosophical questions in various ways.

The “Why are we here?” question puts people off because most don’t feel those inquiries are relevant to their seemingly comfortable routine filled lives. They are just trying to survive so why should they care? I get it. Been there and still am there at times.