An Antidote to Chaos

Much of the world's chaos and conflict are born from a lack of understanding and insight into our own mental lives. This leads to a mind that is out of control, resulting in negative emotions, unnecessary suffering, and disorder in our personal lives.

Now picture this: You don't identify with your emotions. You decide how long you want to stay angry, instead of the other way around. That's the kind of superpower that mindfulness cultivates.

In a world where chaos and conflict seem to be the norm, it's more important than ever to have insight into our mental lives and the ability to regulate our emotions. And this insight allows us to surf the waves of anger, fear, or sadness rather than identify with them.

But it's not just negative emotions that we're struggling with. Have you noticed how fragmented your attention has become?

It's getting harder and harder to focus on one task for more than a few minutes, thanks to the multi-front war being fought for our attention. Everywhere you look, people are tethered to their smartphones, even when they're crossing the street or spending time with their kids.

There was a photo exhibit in 2019 by US photographer Eric Pickersgill, who created "Removed," a series of photos that perfectly captured this phenomenon. He took pictures of people using their smartphones, but then edited the phones out of their hands.

What you're left with is image after image of people in various situations, staring vacantly into their open palms. It's a sobering reminder of the psychological experiment we're performing on ourselves.

Meditation is not something you'll learn by accident. You won't suddenly become a master meditator while jogging, hiking, playing music, or doing any of the other things you love.

But, paradoxically, once you've learned how to meditate, you'll start to have insights into your mind and see changes in your perception of yourself and the world even while engaging in these activities.

So, don't wait any longer.

When the impulse arises, drop everything, meditate, and watch the practice transform you.