Probably what’s wrong with you is pretty close to the same thing that is wrong with me.
Quite simply put, it’s a grand illusion. It’s our lack of comprehension that we are blessed beyond comprehension.
Can anyone of actually begin to comprehend being a Syrian refugee, or a Sri Lankan family living in a hut with a dirt floor and no clean water? And these are only two small examples of life that is nothing like our own. How many others can you think of?
And while most of is might say that we understand this, and are grateful for our current life and circumstances, I think we actually have no comprehension at all. It’s like watching a movie, we see what’s happening on the screen, but we are not living it! A prime example would be war movies. All of us have seen a few, and probably felt moved and appalled by the horrors and tragedy of war. But talk to a veteran who has lived through one and ask them if it’s the same as being there.
The point that I am trying to drive home here, is that we are not grateful. We each get wrapped up in our own little universe and forget to take a step back and breathe.
If you can’t make your mortgage payment, or a sick with the flu, be aware that these things are trivial. Put your life in perspective. Would these things that you stress or cry over really matter if you found out you had cancer? If you had no food or shelter for your family, and bombs were exploding around you, would you complain that you need a new car?
Allow me to pause here and clarify that I am not preaching. And certainly not saying that I have risen above this. I am merely giving both of us a mindful slap in the face and suggesting that we wake the fuck up!
The gifts that each of us have today are beyond the comprehension of millions of people in this World. And I believe that it is not only imperative that we are grateful, but that we ACT to help others. These families are our Mothers and Fathers, Sisters and Brothers. The children are our babies and are helpless and vulnerable.
So please, I plead with you, don’t just sit there in your meditation pose and send blessings. Stand up and be the change. Remind yourself that compassion without action is merely hypocrisy.
