Not Doing-what does it mean?

[Wei Shan Yang]

I saw this documentary a while back, maybe some here have heard of this...it featured a man who, by some rare amnesia, can only retain memory of his past for 3 minutes. They said 1 minute but I think 3 is the max. So truly for him all his doings are let go of. So much so that if someone tells him that an hour ago he had a cup of coffee and chatted, he'd say "did I, I didn't know that." Everytime he sees his wife he greets her like she'd been away for years. It was really weird. The wife was taking him on a walk in the documentary and as they approached his home she asked him if he knew where they were and he said somethign like "somebody's cottage" or else he just said he didn't know. In other words, he had no idea it was his house.



Watching that got me to thinking that we hold onto our past for functional purposes. Here was this guy living truly in the moment, but he needed constant care because he could not take care of himself. He was not practicing not-doing in the warrior sense, and it does show how we need a personal history to a degree. One thing I noticed though is he did remember his history in a way. Like he recognized his wife, apparently his kids, he knew what his career was.



Did this guy seem happier this way? Yes, I must say he was always smiling, lol. Everything was fresh and new. But again he really could not function much. Lucky for him his wife seemed to love him dearly. She served as the surrogate past he could not have.



So anyway, we don't have the benefit of, nor do we want, his total forgetfulness, but seems we all seek that freshness for living in each moment. Perhaps one reason not-doing appeals. So not-doing perhaps means excitement of something new. Like when a movie begins (if you like movies), or you embark on a vacation, new relationship or venture...that feeling. You are open and filled with wonder rather then saying "been there, done that".