Movie Tuesday

Most people wouldn’t be surprised at the idea of watching a football movie on their television, but most people would be surprised at the idea of watching a movie on a TV set sitting on a football field.

And yet, that’s exactly the analogy Bruce Tift uses to describe awareness in his book, Already Free.

The thinking goes like this:

Imagine there’s a movie playing on a TV set. You’re on your own, your phone is off, and the lights are out, so there’s nothing to distract you. It’s an engaging film, exciting, full of drama, suffering, moments of setback and despair, joy and victory.

Thanks to the 4k HD resolution and incredible surround-sound system, you get so drawn into the movie that, even though you’re not actually living in the movie, you feel like you are. It’s the only thing you really notice or perceive.

You don’t think about what you’re sitting on or the fact that there are planes flying over head, children playing in the park, or that someone, somewhere, is trying In-N-Out Burger for the first time (Can you tell that I’m hungry?).

Now, take that television set with the super-engaging film, and place it in the middle of a football field in broad daylight, and instead of sitting up close and enjoying the immersive sound system, you’re way up in the bleachers, watching the movie from afar.

The movie is still just as good, and the television itself still has its HD resolution. But now, because of all the sunlight and the fact that you’re far away, it’s hard for you to feel totally immersed in the film. Now, you begin to notice the way the breeze ruffles the trees, and the chirping of birds. You feel the sunshine on your skin and enjoy its gentle warmth.

Tift argues that the first situation, with the TV in the dark room, is how most of us live our lives: so caught up in the “movie” of our life, that we identify with it and fail to notice the details of life happening all around us. The “story” of the movie is made up of all the emotional interpretations and unthinking reactions we have to the circumstances that arise in our life. No matter what good or bad happens outside of the movie, we don’t even notice, because we’re so caught up watching the screen.

The second situation, with the TV on a sunny football field, is what it’s like to live in touch with your deeper awareness. The movie of your life is still exciting and engaging, but instead of limiting your experience to the story in the film, you see it as just one part of a much grander world. With this perspective, it’s harder to emotionally identify with the fear, outrage, and despair - the drama, if you will - that make the film so compelling to watch. Sure, it’s interesting for a few moments, just like reality TV; but then, you realize that your real life is so much bigger, grander, and more interesting than anything you can find on that little, far-away screen.

Ultimately, this idea might not resonate for everyone, but it ‘s helped me to visualize how awareness relates to our lived, sensory experience in a more tangible way. I hope it’ll help you, too.