For most, that feeling stays back in the shadows of the mind. It simply cannot compete with all the other information coming in on the blackberry, cell phone, computer and television. We drink our double lattés or energy drinks, drive our SUVs or pick-up trucks, and live our lives between the increasingly stressful noises bombarding us from every angle.

What might this hintegedanke be trying to tell us?

How could we forget something so important?

How did we stray from the path?

Over the past five thousand years or so, we have forgotten some very important knowledge we were not supposed to forget. Specifically, this knowledge is of living in harmony with the Earth, and how to feel that connection.

Now, as we find we are on the verge of collectively destroying ourselves… and the planet, the time has come to stop digging this hole and look around.

In the ancient myths of the antediluvian world and the long–lost stories of indigenous populations, the Earth was different. Those who lived on the Earth were different. They lived in harmony and peace with the world around them, connected to it. Their ancestors, the Mayans, the Egyptians, the ancient Chinese, the Vedic Indians, the Australian aborigines, the Celtic druids and the Native Americans all tried to maintain the traditions in their own way. But as the population grew and the human race became more and more greedy and selfish, mechanical and technological advances exponentially increased our ability to exploit the planet. We began to think of ourselves as more important than the other species on the Earth. Indeed, more important that the Earth itself.

It has taken a while. The resilience of the Earth to tolerate our exploitation is amazing, yet that resilience warps our perception of the damage we are causing. Things still seem to look relatively okay. This won’t remain so for much longer. Yet we still aren’t paying attention. We have become so scattered, our attention sliced and diced with an ever-increasing barrage of irrelevant information. There are too many options, too many choices, and not enough attention is being paid to what is truly important. The way forward seems more and more obscure as we stumble foolishly along the edge of a cliff.

We have strayed far from the path.

And now we are caught up in something I call "the distraction of everything."

We have severed our connection to the natural world and become dependent on technology which we believe makes life easier, happier and more fulfilling. And, while life may indeed have become easier to some degree, happiness and fulfillment are proving to be more elusive. Instead of seeing ourselves as integral parts of the Earth, the natural world, and indeed of the universe, we revel in accumulating stuff and lording it over whoever or whatever we can subject to our domination. The more stuff we have the more we want, until we eventually become no more than the accumulation of all our stuff, shallow vessels of wants and desires. We drive cars that burn our natural resources and cause unfathomable problems with the atmosphere and climate. Obliviously watching a television that keeps our brains filled with irrelevant babble, we remain docile and afraid of the world outside. We use poisonous fertilizers to keep our lawns green, and eat chemically-treated, over-processed food that has hardly seen a moment in the depleted soil. We take pills for all of the problems caused by the other pills we’ve been taking. Our contact with the animals of the planet is primarily in zoos where the animals live like inmates in prison, or as house pets; or animals appear on our plates at meal time, unrecognizable. And not the least by far, we are systematically destroying the trees and forests that keep the Earth habitable. Are we insane?

No longer are we living in harmony with the natural environment. We, as a species, have become disconnected, spiritually adrift in a dark and lonely world. We have strayed from the path and are lost in a world gone wrong. And now we find ourselves hurrying towards some sort of undefined spiritual evolution before we plunge over the edge of a great chasm.

We must do something different. No longer do we have the luxury of believing that technological advances make us more advanced. No matter what modern mistranslations of ancient religious texts allege, we are not the masters of the Earth. It was not intended for us to use the resources at our discretion until they are gone. We are not meant to dominate weaker rivals and subjugate all other species. No, we are a part of an infinite interconnected web of existence. If we continue to assume we can do whatever we want without care and ignore the consequences on the Earth and its inhabitants, we will become extinct.

We need a different way of life. A life dedicated not to accumulating stuff, chasing money and power, or conquering the world we live in and dominating the other living beings on this planet. We need a life without anger, hate, jealousy and fear. We need to get away from all of the distractions.

We ought to be concerned with living, experiencing and caring about this precious gift we have and the once-abundant world that we exist in.

Life is a holistic experience for the body, mind and spirit.

It is time to begin recognizing, sensing and exchanging energy with the natural world around us… immediately!

If you start to support and care for the natural world, it will begin to support and care for you. Live your life consciously. Learn to embrace the present moment. Breathe! Let us go back to existing in harmony with the Earth. Turn inwards and use your intrinsic common sense of what is right and wrong. Leave personal wants and desires out of the equation. Be part of the web of existence.

Don’t be distracted.

Today many people are beginning to rediscover the joy and happiness that comes from being connected to the natural world. The simple fact that you are reading this demonstrates that you have a desire to be different. The more we take the opportunity to discover the rich benefits the natural world has to offer us the more profound that change becomes. When we open up to the energy of the world we begin to align with the flow of the universe. We can see the distractions for what they are and begin the process of letting them go.

Anyone can make this change within. It is an open door for all to step through. By becoming aware of a few guiding principles that govern existence and by choosing to live in harmony with them, it is possible to wake up to the natural world and experience the life-force energy that flows through all things. If you can quiet the other distractions of your mind you can begin to tap into that hintegedanke and discover a deeper purpose to life as you become a part of something greater than yourself.

This is not some mystical power, nor is it a magic wand to solve all of your problems. It is a way, instead of simplifying the world around you and realizing your connection to it.

It starts very simply.

Go outside to a place where the natural world is strong.

Breathe deep of the precious air.

Look around. Allow your gaze to draw you into the environment.

Stay in the present moment. Do not be distracted by the thoughts your mind may come up with as a way to divert your attention.

This may seem overly simple, but the truth is that it really is that easy to begin. We all need to commit to our own personal practice if we are to move forward into the future that awaits. This is but another step along that journey to remembering who we are.   Wishing you much peace, Aaron

Aaron Hoopes teaches an Online Personal Development Course for Spiritual Deepening. He is the author of 5 books including Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment through Breathing, Movement and Meditation. His best-selling Daily Warm-Up DVD is a simple method for integrating breath and movement into daily life. Please feel free to contact Aaron: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Visit the Zen Yoga Website: www.artofzenyoga.com