Does our Attention – what we notice and what we ignore – function like a clean slate or a spring of new possibilities? We may think our choices are spontaneous. However, our attention acts as a filter for all the the experiences we have on a given day.
Where we look today is almost always directed by where we’ve been before. Therefore, to understand why we can feel stuck in a loop, we need to look at:
The Geography of the Soul
- Attention is Recycled Water: River water isn’t new; it came from somewhere else. Similarly, you don’t start with a clean slate. Because, your focus is “pre-loaded” with the silt of past experiences. Consequently, you look at the world through the lens of what already helped you survive or enjoy.
- Memory is the Riverbed: This is the actual path carved into your landscape. It isn’t just a record of your past; it’s the physical “groove” that forces your desire (water current) to flow in a specific direction.
- Attachment is the Banks: These are the people, patterns, and places we hang onto for safety. They keep our lives from overflowing into chaos. On the other hand, they can also keep us trapped in “old bends” in the river that might no longer lead to life.
- Habit is the Water Velocity: This is the weight and speed of repetition. Once a habit gets moving, it creates a “suction” that pulls your attention right back into the same old channel.
The Feedback Loop
We don’t just “have” habits; we live in a circular way. Our Memories prime our Attention, which reinforces our Attachments, which accelerates our Habits. In turn, the weight of that habit digs the Memory even deeper.
While it’s easy to blame ourselves and others for “making bad choices,” it’s not so simple. To conserve brain power, not everything we take in filters through the executive function of logic and reason. Much of our choices are beyond our awareness; fast reflexes by our autopilot system. It’s here where we can get caught in a “Muddy Loop” where the past dictates the present and shapes the future.