Think of that delightful state you have found yourself in when vacationing in some far away and perhaps exotic locale. You are paying attention to everything. Sights, sounds, textures, smells, tastes. You feel so alive. And so in the moment. Let’s call that “Tourist Mode”.
You are in the moment because, well, you did a lot of planning and you made quite a journey to get to a place you really wanted to see. And now, there you are! Far from the worries and cares of your ordinary life, and feeling carefree and excited to be right where you are. Time almost stands still. The sky is so blue, the music is so moving, the rhythmic sound of the ocean waves is mesmerizing. You could just sit and contemplate whatever is in front of you – be it palm trees or seascape or mountain range or sunset or whatever.
And each person you encounter seems so interesting. You want to know about them, where they are from, what brings them there. You learn something of their perspective, and you share something of yours.
Contrast all that with the hurried and harried state one’s ordinary days can slide into. Too often, on autopilot. Either mired in the past or off in the future. Hardly paying any attention to the now. And, more likely, seeing others less as fellow adventurers and more as obstacles or problems or even competitors.
Here is an idea. If you can conceive of yourself as the tourist here in “Earth Game” that you actually are, you can live in Tourist Mode. After all (and as fully explained in Earth Game: The Evolution of Consciousness), you came a long way (metaphysically speaking) to be here. You prepared for the journey, and you made detailed plans for your time in “Earth Game”. And here you are, in the midst of your Earth Game adventure. “Theme Park Earth” is wide open for your exploration. To that end, a physical body has been assigned to you to serve as your avatar.
(As an aside, I invite you to assume that the designers of “Theme Park Earth” and the physical body used to adventure here are in each case pleased as can be with their state-of-the-art designs. You could honor their artisanship by taking an occasional moment to sit in awe and appreciation of both this beautiful spinning planet and your own wonderfully complex physicality.)
Here is how you can conceive of yourself as the tourist here that you truly are. There is a “you” (which I invite you to think of as your “Higher Self”) who is not from here. That is the “you” who imagined you into being and planned this adventure within Earth Game. As you begin to identify more and more with that “you”, and less with the physical body that serves as your vehicle for your Earthly adventure, you can begin to let it in that you are a visitor here. You can let it in that you are more that grander “you” than you are the Earthbound human “you” that was created for the purposes of this adventure. You can identify as the tourist, and in so doing, become the tourist. And live your life in Tourist Mode.
As you do so, the moments of your life can come alive like never before. The beauty of nature, the myriad joys of physicality, the love of living things large and small, and the magical interactions with fellow adventurers – your life will pop. The moments will become precious. More and more, you will live in the endless now.
And, when someday you feel the call to wrap up your adventure here and a longing to return home, Tourist Mode will mean there will be no sadness and no fear about that. You can bask in the glow of an adventure well-lived, as you peacefully and joyfully look forward to seeing “home” again. Just click your heels three times (metaphorically speaking), and the tourist will be back home. You will know that, if you choose, you can return here for another adventure in “Earth Game”.