Outsourced Living?

I was teaching a meditation class and it was the second day of a three day program. People in the class were having profound experiences and were amazed with what just one day of meditation had done. In that state of wonder, a participant innocently asked “When meditation is so powerful, why aren’t more people meditating?”

I have been a meditator for over 12 years and have been teaching for half that time. I myself have often wondered about that very question - why aren’t more people meditating, especially now since the benefits of meditation are widely known and recognized.

What stops us from taking advantage of the very thing that could positively impact so many dimensions of our life, could actually help us live differently? Is it that we know the benefits intellectually but we are not inspired to ‘do anything about it’

Which then made me wonder - what inspires us to do or not do something, what makes someone meditate or work-out everyday while another ‘knows’ all about it but ‘does nothing’ about it. Why do we as a human race have a tougher time making life supporting choices vs. those that can land us in a pickle in the long run.

Do we really want to be happy or are we comfortable in the pursuit of it? Do we really value peace, happiness and freedom? Do we as individuals even know what we truly want in life ? Have we spent time with ourselves, going deep and uncovering what we value, what our purpose in life is, what do we stand for, what are the non-negotiables in our life. Or are so busy doing and running that we rarely pause, step back and ask ourselves the most important questions in life, ones that can serve as a guideposts in our life.

Why do we shy away from these questions? Is it because we may get answers that will require us to have tremendous courage to implement and live by, that some of these choices we make may run counter to popular culture, that we may seem like the ‘outsider’. Do we have the fortitude to live life on our own terms or are we scared of standing out and being made fun off in the short run.

Freedom is living life in alignment with oneself, and given that no two people are alike, why do we constantly want to be like someone else, why do we think they know and trust in their wisdom and not realize that they may be as lost as we are. Why do we think that people who are rich and famous have it figured out, and feel the need to emulate them. If only we look at most of them closely, it may become evident that they too are struggling like we are.

It’s time that we stop outsourcing the deepest questions of life and instead invest time and energy behind the only questions that can even take us in the direction of happiness, freedom and peace. It is time to do what may be tougher than climbing the highest peaks - have the courage to be honest with ourselves without judgment and excuses and let that inner voice that we have so skillfully learnt to ignore actually guide every aspect of our being!