Why Should You Contemplate More?

The importance of experiencing your own existence.

From the Greek philosopher Plato to the Buddha to modern psychology, the value of contemplation as a means of fostering well-being and wisdom has been known for a long time.

Some of the most common forms of contemplation include meditation, mindfulness, and contemplative prayer. However, contemplation can also be identified as part of the psychological processes needed for humans to function effectively, such as self-regulation, self-awareness, self-consciousness, introspection, reflection, and higher-order thinking skills.

Contemplation should be distinguished from routine forms of thinking, thought rumination, reminiscing, remembering, problem-solving, or being absorbed in a task.

A common feature across most approaches to contemplation is an appreciation of the value of focused observation, whereby through observing a given concept, situation or object in a focused manner, meaningful insights can arise. Some experts in contemplation have explained this process using the analogy of sunlight that only needs to shine on a flowering plant in order for it to bloom (i.e., where blooming corresponds to deriving wisdom, well-being, or understanding).

For contemplation to be most effective, it appears that maintaining a degree of awareness over the process of focused observation is also required. This means, for example, if a person was contemplating by focusing attention on their breathing or the concept of time, they should also remain aware of the fact they are engaged in contemplation and directing their attention in a particular manner. This two-tier awareness process appears to help prevent getting lost in the contemplation or succumbing to thought rumination, daydreaming, or being overly conceptually absorbed.

Evidence from thousands of studies conducted over the past six decades demonstrates that contemplation can result in various benefits to health and well-being. Examples range from improvements in pain, balance and physical strength as a result of practicing yoga to improvements in emotional intelligence, mood disturbance, and psychological well-being by practicing one of the many forms of meditation.

Irrespective of whether a person wishes to approach it from a psychological, religious, spiritual, philosophical, or personal development perspective, contemplation appears to be integral to how individuals construct meaningful lives and relate to the world they live in. Although contemplation can take on many forms, I personally like to think of it as a means by which we can break from habitual ways of thinking and behaving in order to actually experience our existence. All too often, people forget to take stock of their existence and reflect on what’s truly important in life. And this is a shame. Not regularly allowing the heart and mind to be nourished by contemplation also means that rather than live life, we run the risk of being lived by life, which may lead to feelings of regret.