When I was young, I often found myself sitting quietly somewhere, staring off into the distance and just thinking. I wasn’t solving any complicated problems or coming up with anything profound—I was simply processing the things I saw and heard, and thinking about what they meant.
I was a curious creature growing up, and I was always contemplating whether or not I should accept what someone was trying to teach me. I’m not exactly sure why I was born a skeptic, but that’s the way it was. I found out later in life there were others like me—questioning, exploring, poking holes, and sometimes poking fun at the things people presented as fact.
Often, out at my grandfather’s farm, I would be in one of these reflective moods. He would sometimes ask me, “What are you doing, contemplating your navel?”
I had no idea what that meant. I had no notion whatsoever if it was a sarcastic statement, a form of ridicule, or just a popular expression. So I laughed as if I was in on the joke—which, clearly, I was not. Later, I would learn that this was just an expression, popular in the 1970s.
Let’s see if I can interpret why this became a saying.
There’s a complicated background to the concept, and what it refers to is the actual practice known as “navel-gazing.” The official term for this—and it’s a fun one—is omphaloskepsis. This was a practice known to Christian mystics who believed that intense meditation focused on the navel could help them commune with God. The navel was considered to be the spiritual center. The Catholic Church did not condone this practice, though it may have continued in some branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church. This is likely where the name originated, though perhaps not the full cultural meaning.
In Hinduism (and later Buddhism), both traditions consider the navel an energy center or chakra. Focusing on this area during meditation allows a person to regulate inner energy and use it to achieve clarity, or what is sometimes called enlightenment. Those who contemplate the navel, therefore, are people seeking spiritual enlightenment, self-awareness, and a way to transcend the petty concerns of day-to-day life.
However, in midwestern Colorado, this was not what the phrase referred to. It was a cynical and humorous way of poking fun at the wave of spiritual intellectualism that had begun spreading across the United States. At the time, there was a rapid rise in interest and adoption of Eastern religious practices in the Western world. All things considered, this was probably a good thing—but it did have some repercussions that didn’t go unnoticed by the working class.
They began using “navel-gazer” to describe someone lost in their thoughts—someone self-absorbed and disconnected from the reality that the common person had to deal with. The phrase became shorthand for anything unproductive, time-wasting, or action-delaying. Overthinking things. Spending too much time focused on yourself, and not enough time solving problems or getting things done.
So essentially, my grandfather was calling me lazy.
As I think about this now, I realize that I advocate for—and often participate in—meditative practices. My grandfather wouldn’t have prescribed this as a solution to life’s challenges. He’d probably recommend fishing. Or a week-long elk hunting trip.
I think there’s a lesson here, in this recollection. On one hand, taking time to reflect, meditate, and focus on inner strength is important. On the other hand, spending too much time dwelling on internal angst and struggle rarely results in anything productive.
Clearly, a balance is needed.
I wonder what my grandfather would have said if I had replied, “I’m allowing my soul a moment to reflect on what it has learned, so that I might reserve my strength and focus for the next chore you assign me.”
Would’ve loved to see his reaction to that—especially coming from a 7-year-old!
