A post about Nothing

Today I looked at my page of suggested blog post topics, and what I had was: NOTHING. Blank page, nothing there, not even a suggestion.
This made me think. Do we ever truly have nothing?  Is this even possible?
Definition of nothing:  

1. No thing; not anything
2. One of no consequence, significance, or interest:

Nothing is almost in every aspect a negative word. When you have nothing, you’re empty, when there is nothing left, you’re destitute.

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And when you can think of nothing to say? That can get you in all sorts of trouble.

“You mean nothing to me.” Harsh words spoken.

And having nothing to show for a long-lived life? Well, that is not a positive thought is it?

So it seems to me that when the phrase nothing is used, a whole amount of stress is added as a result. And with stress comes pressure, and with pressure comes more stress and the cycle goes on. All from 'nothing'.

And what about this line that most people are probably familiar with:

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing..."

So is that really possible? To think about nothing at all?

Well, meditation is really the art of thinking about nothing, (although this isn’t actually true, because you cannot stop the brain from producing thought) a way to somehow detach from your own attachments that every thought is important and means something for you to act on. Because they don’t. Thoughts are often random, and habitually formed from years of conditioning. W. Clinton said: 'Sometimes when people are under stress, they hate to think, and it's the time when they most need to think.'

And are there times when nothing is actually not a bad thing?

Well, the Buddhists have a thing or two to say about nothing. They talk about the ‘great void’, something we understand to contain absolutely nothing. The difference is that they talk about it as a positive thing.

My advice to you is that if you’re feeling stress, you need to add some ‘nothing’ into your life.

Stop. Sit. Breathe. Let your thoughts just rush past for a while. Look at them from a distance. This is where good things come out of nothing. Sit for a minute, or two. Set a timer. Just sit, in your car (but not while driving if you're closing your eyes), at work, at home, at a cafe.

So do you really have 'nothing'? I am sure you can find something that has value to you in your life.

Got nothing to say? Gather your thoughts. Be honest about not finding the right words.

“You mean nothing to me?” It is their opinion, not yours. Find out exactly what they mean. Find meaning in yourself, not others.

Having nothing to show for your life? Take a long hard look at your life. Just because your expectations are set one way, it doesn’t actually mean that you have nothing to show. Again, be honest with yourself.

As the Buddhists say: If the universe’s existence was not empty, then all resulting phenomena could not have arisen to what it is today.*

So for today remember: Out of nothing, great things are created!




*http://www.buddhanet.net/cbp2_f6.htm