Language seems to be at the root of much of human suffering. We use words to construct hateful and prejudiced beliefs about others, form negative opinions about ourselves, obsess over and “re-live” traumatic events, and develop rules that can be ineffective and harmful. Our excessive use of language and thinking can also make it difficult to maintain “contact” with the present moment. We can spend so much time thinking about the past or worrying about the future that we don’t really appreciate or experience what’s going on around us!