Multitaskers are not as smart as they think, according to Stanford researchers. Something I’ve wondered about for a while is: are people who meditate, who try to focus on one thing or on nothing at all the smartest of all?
I live in California and know that quite a few of my friends meditate. I once asked a colleague to recommend a book on meditation and she pointed me to a book I largely found discouraging in that it urged me to meditate with other people. Stubbornly, I tried to meditate on my own anyway.
I got out my carpet scrap and my kitchen timer and sat on the cement of my patio contemplating lichens growing in the shade for ten minutes every morning for a week or two. It seemed to help me focus, but I did not stick with it. When I have trouble sleeping, I still measure my breathing: 10 counts to inhale, 10 counts to exhale. That helps me relax and sometimes fall asleep.
The book, Meditation by Eknath Easwaran, suggested that to be present with each moment, we should only do one thing at a time. I find this impossible when it comes to eating. Ever since I was a young person, I would read when I eat. Now, I read books, watch TV, or read news on my computer when I eat. Even when I remember not to eat while doing these activities, I cannot break the habit. I still decide to eat while doing these things. Whenever I cannot just eat, it makes me aware of how not smart I am.
I would like to lose a few pounds and, frankly, I should cut back on what I eat and savor every moment of food. I should focus on how it tastes, how it smells, on the pleasure of the flavors and how food turns my hunger to satisfaction. I should do this because if I eat while distracted by other things, I eat too much. Not smart.
If I eat while reading, I barely notice the taste of the food and I feel I am lacking when the food is gone. This is especially bad when I eat a sugary treat while also occupied with watching a humorous TV news show. I'll think "That handful of Milk Duds did not last long. I scarcely tasted them. I will get another handful.” In the time it takes from one commercial break to the next, the box or bag of candy is half gone.
I don't know if meditation would help me not lose my focus when eating. I can try by going to Chozen-ji Zen center in Hawaii in November through my kendo dojo. I heard stories from people who took the trip before that they had to meditate for three hours each day and eat massive quantities of rice. The rice-eating would be difficult for me. Sitting and thinking of nothing for three hours a day for three days doesn't concern me. However, the idea of eating four cups of rice at each sitting worries me a great deal. I don’t care for rice and, sometimes, I have food sensitivities to it. I can just imagine myself with an allergic reaction clearing my throat all afternoon at a meditative retreat. That doesn't sound good.
Between now and the time to decide whether or not I will go meditate in November, I'll try to multitask a little less, especially where food is involved. It's too late this morning, but at lunch for sure.
