As a child growing up in India, one of the things that always captivated me was the mythological dramas that we used to watch on our national television every Sunday. There’s used to be such a hoopla about these serials, that our entire family and that of our neighbors, used to crowd in front of our new solidaire color tv to watch the story of the Gods every week.
One interesting thing for me in these serials was the role of the sages. These were men with long beards and saffron clothing that were revered by kings, queens, and the entire population. God was the true devotion of such men. They never seem to care or respect anyone. They always seem to be so intent on finding out the ultimate truths. They were shown to be going to the Himalayas often and meditating for years.
I always thought that maybe that’s the role of meditation — to explore deeper truths in life. But is it really? What if, such “bigger truths” were the aspiration of such people? What if people who always explored unexplainable subjects like death, life’s purpose, etc. became sages? And thereby always meditated on such complex subjects?
Then the question is are we seeing emotional exploration with the wrong lens? Maybe then, can I explore my everyday emotions with the same intensity even if they are lame? What happens when I do that?
I have been doing this experiment on myself for a while now. For the last 3 years, every single emotion, every single sensitivity on my head, I spent time facing them and if required, exploring them.
When I started this experiment, it was all analytical. I was trying to understand my emotions with my rational intelligence alone. I was going mad. Then I decided to recruit other aspects of my intelligence as well. I experienced these emotions and saw what thoughts and sensations they are taking me towards. I explored them with my rational and intuitive intelligence.
I realized that each emotion that we experience is a reflection of the world, but personalized for us. It’s an amazing experience, it's an amazing way to live. Yes, it can be really exhausting. And yes, I get lost a lot of times. There’s no sure-shot way to do this every single time. Every time it's an iteration.
But I do feel like those mythological sages at times, meditating on parts of my mind that I never cared to notice before. It’s like stopping and observing that small little shop you pass by every day without giving a moment. I then step in to find that shop has some of the things that most interest me!
While the emotions and questions I pursue might be different from the sages, I know I am taking the same journey, every single time!
Harry builds tech-based extended cognition to aid in emotional processing at Konvos
