Self

When we are working, the entire focus is on the work being done. The personal thoughts that do arise are an intrusion and over time we learn to set them aside or they will interfere or ruin the work. This is not to say we are not thinking or that we are not conscious, it is just that we are not "self centered" and in this state of mind  is peace and relaxation. We are in the moment, adjusting to the process, making thousands of actions and reactions as the work progresses. We are in the act of creation and as I have said, the tool works on both ends. The real product that we are making is the creation of our self.

We have come to identify ourselves with our ego, I am who I am. If we accept this egocentric point of view as consciousness then we have a problem. The body receives billions of bits of information every second, but our consciousness is only capable of processing 40 or 50 bits. Not only that, we can not do it in real time, there is a lag of up to half a second between stimulus and response. 

Looked at in another way, what you assume is you, is really just a distilled reconstruction of your experiences created in the past tense. Since we are constantly in the process of creating ourselves, then it is just as easy to work towards creating our ideal self. We can do this through our work. When I work, the mind is racing around initially. It is the mind's job to connect the pieces of your experience into a coherent pattern, but this is background processing and does not need your attention. What does need your attention is right at hand and that is the work before you. 

If you have ever tried to shoot a basketball or hit a golf ball, you know that it is nearly impossible to do with any success if you think about it. In fact, one of the most appealing parts about playing sports, is that you can get in a state of consciousness that is alert and in the present moment, without being in your conscious self. When you are working in an unselfconscious manner, you will become aware of the distractions that are not obvious from any other perspective. Some of these distractions are not important and can be suppressed by discipline, others arise like an alarm and need to be addressed.

Each and every morning when you open the shop and go to work, you have to begin all over again. The pieces do not make themselves. Even practiced skills need the full focus of your conscious mind. I found myself forging a blade last week when I had other things on my mind. Before I realized it I had beat up the steel. It was distorted and abused beyond recognition. It made me laugh that I could have been so inept and I realized that despite a lifetime of making blades, the one that was before me was the one that mattered. It demanded that same attention as my first blade and it brought me back into focus.

We live in a time that insulates us from responsibility. We insure our homes against loss, we insure our health, our car, our jobs through tenure if we are able. We accept canned music, TV, microwave popcorn, and theme parks. Every aspect of our lives is packaged, franchised and "safe", but there is a terrible price to pay for safety. We have abdicated responsibility for our own lives. No one is responsible or accountable for their actions anymore. If we are not responsible for what we do, then we can not truly know who we are or who we are capable of becoming. 

I have a friend who use to sheep hunt alone in the interior of Alaska. He went nearly every year, not so much for the hunting, but for the feeling of being responsible for himself. Out on the mountain, far from any other human, he was forced to watch every step. A moments inattention would have cost him his life, yet instead of fear, he felt exhilaration. He felt alive. His senses were alert and he was open to experience the wonder and awe in the beauty that surrounded him. We do not need to go to Alaska to get that same sense of exhilaration, working mindfully in the shop and accepting responsibility for the work of our hands teaches the same lesson. We are ultimately responsible for our lives. In every step and action we take, we are creating our lives, it is what we do with our time. If we choose to do it mindfully we will continue to grow. 

Raven's Head guard by Murad Sayen