The world has got off to a bumpy start this year. As an inextricable component of this planet, so inevitably, have I.
I would like to say that I have answers, but all I have are questions. They are what keep my heart beating. Its like my heart beat itself is a repetitive act of questioning.
When we set off on the path to meditate we need first of all to cultivate calm. With wildfires raging, wars breaking out and thin veiled animosity between those closest at hand, calm is an art in itself, challenging to the extreme.
I would like to say that calm is the backbone of peace but I’m not sure that’s right. Having enough food in one’s stomach, a safe place to sleep, trust in those around us. These surely precede calm.
Thereafter calm is not a luxury but a necessity. We serve no one and nothing without it. We cannot make sound judgments, only by fluke. We follow herds ill-advised
I would like to say I have it all worked out, but I don’t. I come back to my practice every day and remain humble. I make reverence to the space I occupy.
We judge each other by our actions and so we should, up to a point. Discrimination is a necessary process when choosing the peaceful path. I fly in fuel-chugging jets, buy food wrapped in plastic and indulge in the flesh of fish. None of these actions give me sound morals. The path of inquiry for me is not one of self-flagellation but of questioning. Would this planet truly be better off without me on it? Should I be aiming at offsetting myself?
I would like to say I am perfect, but I wouldn’t really. How would that make you feel? I am imperfect, so are you.
The New Year is a time for resolutions, to strengthen those habits that bolster our ego. What if our resolve were to dismantle the ego altogether? To return to nature? An imperfect feat, but perfection is an illusion. In these dizzy times of ecological demise, orienting towards nature is absolute priority.
I would like to say that I know one thing for sure, but I believe: nature is the way.
All these practices; yoga, meditation, chanting, therapy, religion… if they don’t serve to re-align us with nature, are a lie. To be weighed down by our past in this eternal present is of no use to anyone or anything.
The moment is now. A song by Bob Marley goes: ‘it is brighter on the outside than it is really on the inside.’ I would say Go inside! It is the same as outside. (I agree with Marley by the way, I always agree with Marley).