“Many poets and sages throughout the ages have observed that true happiness—I call it the joy of Being—is found in simple, seemingly unremarkable things.
“Most people, in their restless search for something significant to happen to them, continuously miss the insignificant, which may not be insignificant at all.
“The philosopher Nietzsche, in a rare moment of deep stillness, wrote, ‘For happiness, how little suffices for happiness!…the least thing precisely, the gentles thing, the lightest thing, a lizards’s rustling, a breath, a wink, an eye glance—little maketh up the best happiness. Be still.’
“Why is the ‘least thing’ that makes up ‘the best happiness?’ Because true happiness is not caused by the thing or event, although this is how it first appears. The thing or event is so subtle, so unobstrusive, that it takes up only a small part of your consciousness—and the rest is inner space, consciousness itself unobstructed by form.
“Inner space consciousness and who you are in your essence are one and the same. In other words, the form of little things leaves room for inner space. And it is from inner space, the unconditioned consciousness itself, that true happiness, the joy of Being, emanates.
“To be aware of the little quiet things however, you need to be quiet inside. A high degree of alertness is required. Be still. Look. Listen. Be present.”
~Eckhart Tolle from A New Earth
3 comments
Blake says:
Apr 1, 2013
Little things
Timur says:
Jul 19, 2018
Makes the biggest difference
Lanie says:
Jul 21, 2018
absolute truth!!!! I’m working towards being present.