from reaction to witness

Is he impressed with the depth of my spirituality?

I was speaking with Tom about whether the rise of AI—tools like ChatGPT—might negatively impact mental development. I shared how I’ve been using ChatGPT to clarify thoughts on topics like love, soul, karma, reincarnation, energy, and vibration.

My work with AI feels like collaboration. I value the assessments, the help in refining language, and especially the focus on consistency of thought. It feels like we’re curating these insights together. I offered this as an example of how AI might actually support mental and spiritual development.

My ego took over

While I was explaining this, I noticed Tom seemed genuinely interested—and I felt proud of myself for being so evolved. I started thinking ahead to what I might say next to further impress him.

That’s when I stopped.

With a slight smile, I saw the irony: here I was, talking about spiritual clarity, while caught in the very trap I write about. I wasn’t present. I wasn’t witnessing. I was performing.

That thought is not me

But in that moment, I saw the thought—“Is he impressed with me?”—as something in front of me, not me. I let it go.

The conversation continued. It was relaxed, open, and real.

how I use witnessing in daily life

searching for peace

When I practiced yoga and meditation more actively, I was searching for a way to carry that peace into the routines and rhythms of daily life. At the time, there seemed to be a clear divide — spiritual practices on one side, and the rest of life on the other.

To bridge that gap, I started a simple nightly ritual. Before bed, I would write down any moments during the day when I felt angry, upset, or even ecstatic. At first, the list was short. But over time, I began remembering more emotional reactions — some big, some subtle.

And then, a shift began.

One day I was driving in heavy traffic. A driver suddenly cut in front of me, skipping a long line of cars waiting to exit. I felt the surge of anger rise. I wanted to lay on the horn, maybe even flip him off. But I didn’t. Instead, I thought: This will make a great journal entry tonight.

space between reaction and awareness

That moment might seem small — but it was huge.
I wasn’t lost in the emotion. I was watching it. That space between reaction and awareness… that’s witnessing. That’s growth.

Eventually, I began journaling my emotions twice a day — at lunch and again before bed. And something beautiful happened: I started to sense the moment I was being triggered. More and more, I was the witness, not the participant.

Two breath meditation - Thich Nhat Hanh

There are small practices that help me stay connected to this space of awareness.
When the phone rings, I always take one breath before answering.
Throughout the day, I pause for a simple two-breath meditation:

Breathing in – comforting
Breathing out – smiling
Breathing in – present moment
Breathing out – wonderful moment

I’ll share more of these practices in future posts.

I’d love to hear what helps you return to awareness.
Feel free to share.

Thank you. Om, Bob