Meditation Stimulus Package

Whether or not you understand, believe in, or are against the economic stimulus bill recently signed into law by President Obama, one thing is certain - life will continue on and this era will become a part of history. No matter what we do at this point, we will go on and eventually, like all events in time, it will become a memory.

But, the truth is that we are living in these times, right now, in this present moment. And, there is no better time to practice meditation than in this present moment. Time and again, we hear how meditation reduces stress and brings a sense of peace into our lives. I have a daily routine of meditation and I have maintained my practice through the good times and, now, in these not-so-good times.

I truly believe that the real affect of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be to change peoples' attitudes. Let me turn that around a little bit and say that, no matter how much money we spend on recover or how that money is spent, the real change that will occur in the coming months will be in the attitudes of people. As the "economic reality" becomes more positive, so will people's attitudes, and that will in turn lead to positive change in "economic reality".

Of course, meditation will also lead to changes in our perception of the world. After my meditation sessions, I tend to feel lighter and more positive about the world. Not "the" world, but "my" world - my little, ego-created world. Meditation centers me as I let go of the thoughts created by my mind. All the made-up problems that my mind tells me are important subside and I regain that sense of "rightness" about my life. Afterwards I feel more positive and I become more productive in my work. I am less burdened by the imagined "realities" of the world around me.

By no means do I mean to say that meditation is an escape or that I use meditation to bury my head in the sand. In the physical realm there are some very real things happening. I have bills to pay and people are suffering all around us. But, meditation brings my wild mind back to an understanding of just where I fit in that physical realm and how much of it truly has a direct impact on my life. I am compassionate about the suffering in the world and I do everything I can to ensure I do not contribute to the suffering. And, wherever I can, I do my part to reduce suffering if it is within my ability to do so. But, meditation releases me from the debilitating grip of being overly engaged with suffering.

So, I encourage everyone to meditate. I think that it will make a far more meaningful change in your life than any economic stimulus package. Eventually the economy will recover and, in time, the economy will take another downturn. But, the stimulus you receive from a regular practice of meditation will remain fairly stable through it all.

Thank you for reading,

Jay

P.S. My ego was quite thrilled today (March 13th) to see that this article about the President's Economic Top Adviser concurred with my thoughts in this blog: Fear is the real economic problem.

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