“To be or not to be,” wrote the British bard, so perhaps that is the answer to the question. Then again the French philosopher Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am,” making thought a key to existence. However, his quote includes I am, a form of the verb to be, so it is hard to choose which one, to be or to think, takes precedence.
Certainly, from a mindfulness point of view to be is the goal. Not to have this or that, not to have our minds mired in thought, or to move aimlessly about, but to be in the moment, aware of the now, present and accounted for. To be one with creation, with the universe, with all there is. To be alive certainly beats non-being. In fact, recently, my son and I had a conversation about not-being. He said he really couldn’t fathom that state – what it would be like not to be. It’s not something we care to think about so, “to be” seems a likely choice as the verb that I’m most connected to.
That is not to say that to think lacks importance as a characteristic. It’s just that we have to achieve the state of being, before we can think, have or move. At least, I think so? 🙂
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