Some years ago, when my work took me to return to the U.K., I was fortunate to have attended a series of lectures delivered by James Gibbons at the London School of Economic Science. I did this over a period two years. His course of lectures involved being and staying in the present. His lectures were well prepared and delivered. They required active participation by all attendees, There were about 30 of us.
There were many parts to being and staying in the present. The first part being the elimination of all distractions. This required actively disregarding anything, taking one away from active listening. Such things as traffic noise coming from outside on the street, or doors opening and closing in adjacent rooms etc.
Have you ever noticed yourself during a conversation, drifting away from fully listening to thinking about what you are going to say next? I think it happens to all of us. Sadly, we have become a nation of people waiting to speak instead of listeners.
What I found and my take-away from these lectures, was that I had a better understanding of what had been said. And this led to a better long-term memory of the event.
We can all train ourselves to be and remain in the present. However, it is up to the individual to make a conscious decision to be be more aware of events as they happen.
Personally, I found that this practice left me better prepared with fewer surprises. This has reduced what I call catastrophic events in my day-to-day life. Of course, there is a lot to write about this, but I don’t want to be long winded. Perhaps more to follow at a time in the near future
I have reached the regrettable realization that I may have squandered my life. I did a quick count recently and figured that I have visited about 66 countries, and lived for more than 3 years in 3 of them. During this time I completed 14 corporate moves (relocations) and have changed my address more than 23 times. I should have settled on a profession that would have kept me in one place with no packing and unpacking.
When I think of the time I have spent bundling my life into and out of boxes. Ah well, it's all water under the bridge. But I am grateful for the experience. At the end of the day I will be able to say with a certain authority, "been there, done that".
A note about this site’s Header Image The Header image for this site is of the Smith Avenue High Bridge. The bridge was built in 1889 and carries Minnesota State Highway 149 across its span of 2770 feet, 160 feet above the mighty Mississippi River. The picture was taken from the river looking to the north-east and downtown Saint Paul. The bridge is about 1040 miles from New Orleans.
One of the reasons I like this view is that I come from a city which has a spectacular bridge. It’s the Clifton Suspension Bridge http://www.ikbrunel.org.uk/clifton-suspension-bridge which spans the Avon Gorge and the River Avon in Bristol, U.K. It’s about 1350 feet long and stands 245 feet above the river below. Sadly it has claimed the lives of more than 400 people who have committed suicide by jumping from the bridge. As a side note, not all attempts were successful. two small girls thrown off the bridge by their deranged father survived the fall when they were fished from the river by the crew of a passing pilot boat.
The bridge was opened in 1864 and was designed by the 24 year old architect, Isambard Kingdom brunel. It took 35 years to complete.
Fa - the Green Dragon 
May 19, 2025 at 5:20 pm
Interesting post. I am one of those that thinks about what I am going to say next in conversation. It is a terrible distraction.
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May 20, 2025 at 4:55 am
Thank you for your thoughts about this. As I wrote already, there is more to say about this matter.
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May 22, 2025 at 1:23 am
I look forward to it.
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