If we were lucky enough to meet our ancestors somewhere in the past and tell them about the way we live today they would probably say: "Wow, it must be wonderful". And in truth, it should be! Although we no longer have to hunt in order to survive, conquer continents by the sword or have to work seven days weeks in deplorable conditions, we seem to lead miserable lives.
Hardly one day goes by without us hearing the word "stress". So, what’s gone wrong then? Some will say too much work, others will blame the family or their poor health… Of course, all these reasons are valid ones but not new to mankind. After all, life has never been perfect!
I often hear people who live in the city complain about their busy lifestyles and wishing they had a nice cottage in a rural village, or, people who live in quiet places dreaming of the bustling city life!
Some will make the move but may find the city life too much and return to their initial place and yet those who find the countryside so dull that they start longing for the stress of the city!
We tend to create mental images of how we would like life to be and when things don’t match our dreams, we get frustrated! This is true for career, for relationships, finances, etc.
It’s not uncommon for people to feel deluded by their dreams and expectations but that is where the learning process begins. All my life I wanted to live in London and after visiting a few times, I realised that what I really wanted was to be a tourist there and nothing else! I still love London, as a visitor, as I get the chance to see and enjoy things that residents don’t always have time for but I would never even endeavour to live there!
Can you see now where we have gone wrong? Yes, that’s it! Too many unrealistic expectations fed by a world full of opportunities! Whereas our ancestors would be happy with being able to survive, we are eager for success, wealth and always seeking to add more commodities to our lives. Worse even, we always desire things we don’t own!
And it is so easy to get lost with "wants" and "desires" in this world! Turn on the television and you will be showered with commercials with appealing images that make you want to buy things that normally you would not even think of.
But, do you really need that promotion to be happy? Do you really need that new car to put a smile on our face? Do you really have to travel abroad every year to enjoy life?
There are techniques that you can use to help you see the world from a different perspective. The benefits of meditation have been widely discussed but there are times when it’s particularly difficult to switch off, so I have to resort to a pre-meditation exercise.
If you had a bad day at work, at home or your bank account is in the red again, meditating can prove to be quite hard. What I tend to do in this case, is to visualise myself leaving earth, quietly… my body feeling as light as a feather…I start rising towards the sky and I slowly enter space and move as far as I need to see the earth. Then I sit down on an imaginary seat and just stay there observing everything that is going on in the planet… I see people rushing about, shouting at each other, I see wars, I see people departing and leaving the planet and lastly, I review my bad day!
After observing all these events happening in our world from a safe distance, my problem, whatever it was when I started this pre-meditation exercise, has become much smaller compared to everything else! All my material belongings have been reduced to what they are: effects that are here to help me on my journey and that are not meant to be the centre of my existence. My mind has gone from being an ocean of agitated waters to being a placid lake…I am then ready to enjoy the stillness I have created inside my being and enter a deep meditative state.
Meditation has the power of making us drift into a more realistic world. When you’re at peace and feeling at One with the Creation it is easier to understand who you are and the world around you. You then realise that illusions is what the physical world is made of.
Nevertheless, dreaming and wishing is important. There is nothing wrong with dreaming of having a successful career, an expensive car or travelling around the world. As long as chasing these things do not cause unbalances in other areas of your life or lead you to believe that you will be complete once you reach your goal, then the pursue can only be worth it!
