An Equanimous Outlook
It’s that time of year to reflect on our many blessings, yet this year is different. While many of us may be feeling broke, tired and upset with the world, we need to find the balance. It’s easy to say “count your blessings” but what to do when they don’t seem to exist?
Imagine yourself as a child on a teeter-totter. Your friend is soaring high while you are touching the earth, but with a quick push the roles will reverse. Such is life, up and down, and the answer is to not get hung up on either.
For several years I have practiced Vipassana meditation, the art of finding equanimity. It may sound crazy, but when you sit for hours in meditation and your back starts hurting, you could just say screw it, and give up. Or, you can focus instead on the air going through your nostrils or the way you can feel your heart pounding in your chest. And funny thing, you will not be thinking of your sore back any longer. The same rules apply to life.
Take the cannabis industry, a perfect example. Fifteen years ago, we were all flying high, making up to $4000 per pound, life was good and easy. Then the crash hit, legalization failed us, and we are all broke. The teeter-totter has returned us to the bottom level. The key now is to find the spot in the middle, where we become the observer of both high and low, unattached to either.
As the observer, we are able to see the patterns in our lives and what works and what doesn’t work. We can step back and be impartial, not aligned with either, good or bad. In fact, we may finally get to a place of not even seeing the difference. All is one.
Sure, it’s sweet to have the money to put a full Thanksgiving meal on the table to share with friends and family. But maybe some years it is equally nice to make it simple, to feast on mushrooms foraged from under the oak trees and to fill your belly with the beauty of the richly hued autumnal nature and the loving presence of loved ones.
As a student of history, I have come to truly appreciate the resilience of human nature. I grew up in San Francisco, and often heard stories of the big earthquake and fire of 1906. In the face of such a huge disaster, people actually came together to help one another, they managed to live in shacks in the park as they rebuilt their city bigger and better. These are examples of the strength inside of us all, a strength that is not born out of denial but out of hope.
My suggestion is to look towards the future with hope, intuition and creativity. If you don’t like what you see where you live, leave. Go explore and find a new home that suits you. The adventure will take your mind off your problems. If you don’t have the ability to just pick up and move, then look around where you are and see your options. Perhaps one good one is to help others at a time when you feel you need help yourself. Put your goodness into your karma bank and I guarantee it will make you feel better.
May this Thanksgiving fill your heart with hope and equanimity. The spirit and truth of “Love thy brother and sister as thyself” holds true no matter what your beliefs. When we recognize that we are all here, sharing this planet, perhaps an avenue to harmony will open in our lives. May Peace and understanding be the next epidemic.
