I watched a video by the Japanese Zen master Taigu the other day. He talked about why we sometimes feel we lack motivation, the drive to do things we want to do. It is because we live in a world of full of convenience. Today, most of us are probably enjoying the convenience modern lifestyle has provided. Unlike generations before us, we no longer need to go very far or even leave our houses to pick up groceries anymore, we don’t need to worry about what to cook if we could just order pretty much anything at our finger tips. Whatever news or information we seek, we can access it immediately.
Our lives have become extremely convenient compared to a hundred years ago. But all these conveniences actually come at a cost. We have become desensitised. We have basically traded our ability to sense and respond to the world around us for a convenient lifestyle. I am not saying we should just abandon all the conveniences we enjoy, but we need to acknowledge that we have been deprived of our sensibility. Sensibility allows us to appreciate the world around us with joy and gratitude. It is the thing we need in order to feel alive and energised.
So what is sensibility? It is the joy we experience when we engage our senses to feel whatever is presented to us at this moment. Not all situations are a joy of course, but it is also about appreciating the simplest things in life such as a glass of water. Imagine the joy you feel the moment you arrive at an exotic country you’ve always wanted to visit, everything around you is new and exciting. That is pretty much the feeling of sensibility.