Posts Tagged ‘materialism’
Trading in Things for People
I remember a day a few years back. The sun shone bright as I was driving somewhere. The volume on my car radio was up a few extras notches. Totally at ease, I sang the song on the radio as onlookers in other cars smiled, while others poked fun at my expense. But most, I observed, didn’t even notice my frivolity as their cell phones appeared to be permanently affixed to their ears. As I stopped at traffic lights, one after the other, and gazed at the passengers of neighboring vehicles, I determined this was now the norm. Dangerous, but still the norm. I remember a time when driving gave us a respite from ringing phones and daily demands. There was a time when paying attention to the road was important—come to think of it, maybe I shouldn’t have been singing.
I thought about this situation. I decided that those people, me included, who depend on so many external gizmos to get through the day, need something more. What we need is to listened to the yarn within us and detach ourselves from, well, “things“. Think about it, things are dreadfully unimportant–really. But if we listen to ourselves, we may begin to realize what is important. Then again, what if we listened to others? We just might find our answers to our questions instead of avoiding them. If we let go of things and replace them with people, and we actually listen, wouldn’t we be on a path to a more fulfilling life? I think so, but that’s just me.
Posted on Monday, October 31st, 2011 | No Comments »
To Be Human is to Be Spiritual
Yesterday in Parade Magazine, there was a report of a lengthy survey on religion and spirituality written by Christine Wicker. The long and short of the article is that we, as a nation, are considering ourselves as more spiritual than ever before. I go a step further, although I don’t have statistics to prove it. That is, we have always been spiritual. That’s why I started to write my book Zen Master Next Door nearly five years ago.In our huge world, we are all connected. Everything and everybody’s actions impact everyone else. Just think about it. We cannot survive without others, or without what grows on the earth, or the water that refreshes us, or the warmth of the sun–or a fire. If we made more time to listen to others, no matter who they are, and listen to ourselves, we might learn something. If we made time to see how this world works and how it is aligned with our Creator, we might make better decisions. Religion is good, but spirituality takes us further.
The short stories in Zen Master Next Door are about you and me in our everyday life trying to make the best decisions we know how. Slowing our pace, putting the blackberry down and listening to what a child has to say, could really be enlightening. Just think if we could see God in different ways–hearing Him in voices of those we meet and in the breeze wafting through the boughs of a tree.
But, today, the frenetic pace we seem to have accepted creates our largest barrier in our spiritual life. Our material “needs” are a giant step backward in our quest to learn about ourselves, our fellow man and our God.
To be human is to be spiritual, and I’m joyful more of us are recognizing what we already possess.
Check out Zen Master Next Door at http://www.edwardgkardos.com/
Posted on Monday, October 5th, 2009 | No Comments »
