Death in Denial

We're exposed to sights and sounds of death and dying people on a daily basis - day and night. Our media doesn't miss the daily ritual of reporting on a homicide, war, natural disasters, famine, and other news where other human beings are experiencing suffering eat the hands of others motivated by a myriad of intentions, ranging from revenge to sheer hate. On occasion, our news networks may throw in a suicide bombing for good measure.

But, I wonder, is this make us more empathic to the plight of our fellow human brothers and sisters? Do we, as we  witness from afar the daily tragedy of human lives  wasted away, grow in compassion and  bother to take the time to reflect on the essential vulnerability inherent in the human condition? Do we feel in any way connected with these people who are suffering injustice or misfortune? Or do we rather hold to an idea that we're not like them - that they are the "other"… that they are less fortunate… that, indeed, we're not like them… we're better… more civilized? These are some of the questions I'm becoming  more aware of the fact that, we can't go on living as if what is not happening in our country doesn't concern us.

Even if we're informed about the realities of human tragedy every day, I suspect that as we follow  these events unfold, we do our best to escape the reality of suffering and death. Instead, we take every means possible to hide away from being reminded of the realities that underpin our human existence. We take refuge in temporary joys and pleasure, we indulge in food and entertainment and we lose our time in seeking more wealth, success and money. We seek a happiness that , try as we may, we cannot at fain.

We fear acknowledging that we are dependent on others. We keep away from hospitals and such institutions where those who are excluded kept. We fear to recognize that we will change and so, we prefer to deny or even resist the aging process. We house large numbers of our elderly relatives into old people homes. We fear death and often forget those who are dying in our hospitals. Out of sight, out of mind.

The reality is that yes, we depend on each other. That is no reason to feel inferior but rather feel part of something bigger than ourselves. Yes, we will grow old and change but then, it's also true that sadness will be followed by joy, darkness by light. Indeed, once again you can't really  appreciate joy without having experienced sadness. 

Finally, we all will die - whatever we do. But,\ that means that we shouldn't take for granted the day we've been given. An opportunity to experience the wonder of life itself. The chance to meet new people, enjoy our friends and loved ones. We've got a unique privilege to cherish the miracle of nature and the universe. 

Indeed, every day is borrowed time where we can reach out to others and offer our love and compassion. I now believe that  is the only path to achieve authentic peace and happiness.

Our Lives: Past, Present and Future

I've come a long way since I started my investigation into the meaning of life. My attempt to understand the nature of my reality. The reason for being. Indeed, I've changed a lot as I ask questions about what is happening around me: in my personal life, in my local community and within the global family. I have found a few answers and I still got many other queries that remain unresolved.

Undertaking this journey leaves you feeling rather lonely. However, paradoxically, it can leave you more connected to the world like never before. I have been helped immensely by my exploration of Buddhist thought. In fact, as I delve deeper in my understanding, I have discovered peace and happiness that I have never experienced - except in those rare occasions. I  bust admit that I had an early interst in the Buddhist tradition but was perhaps too afraid to develop this interest. That is, until  today.

Don't get me wrong. The path I chose to take is a personal choice. It isn't for everyone but the more I learn about the philosophy behind the Buddhist practice of contemplative meditation, the more I am convinced that I am getting somewhere. I still have a lot of respect for Christianity as I was brought up in this tradition. Indeed, my desire to pursue an alternative way of looking at life and living doesn't diminish my respect for the value of my past teaching. In fact, as I discover facts about Buddhism, I can't help notice significant par allels between Christian morality and Buddhist morality.

At the same time, I find that the Buddhist way of thought and analysis works for me. I have also gained a lot from my daily practice of meditation. I am finding new ways of looking at the world. I feel, for the first time, that there is something unique and precious in this life that I've taken for granted. I am sincerely grateful when I wake up in the morning - usually to start the day with a few minutes meditating about what I dreamt, the feelings I had on opening my eyes and thoughts about the day ahead.

I don't want you to think that there aren't moments when I'm sad, angry or anxious - for example. The fact that these and other emotions are part of our life. We can't help feeling angry if we feel cheated, or sad if we got bad news about a friend, or even if someone passed an unkind remark. But, if we are mindful enough of our thoughts and feelings, we can change the way we relate to ourselves and, by extension, how we relate to others.

At the end of it all, our emotions come and go. That is the nature of life - the essence of reality. The impermanence of things. And as our emotions rise and fall in our consciousness, so will our bodies one day perish. But, then, what comes next is anyone's guess. It's good to have faith in a world beyond but it's equally important to cultivate happiness now and today. Not just for your own sake but for the benefit of the entire human family.

Learning from Childhood

When I watch world news, I am often left speechless. There appears to be so much trouble and conflict in the world. People fighting, people being killed. People seeking a better life, people crushed by their oppressive leaders. People facing natural disasters, people polluting the world and increasing global warming. We're all familiar with the stories that are reported everyday in our homes, on our mobile phones, and on the Internet.

I wonder about the state of the world. How things have changed since I was younger and everything was so simple. I was idealistic then, believing that there could be world peace. Believing that somehow there was a solution to every problem in the world. But, now, I really don't know any more whether the adult world was as great as I thought it would be. I ask myself, where are the choices and freedom I thought I would have. Where is the liberty to do what I put my mind to do? Has all this been a false idea that I adopted on seeing how adults appeared to get their own way and, who ultimately, wanted to be right even when they were not.

However, it's a fact that children are the ones who suffer the consequences of our adult actions when there are conflicts, wars and other crisis. We involve children in our matters even if they have not chosen to take part. We involve children in issues that they don't understand or are explained. We involve children because we assume that their opinions do not matter. We forget that we were children once ourselves. I don't know why I chose to look at the global situation with a focus on children.

It could be because that, during one of my meditations, I was taken back to a dream I had as a child. That of a world where it didn't matter who you were and how you looked, you were part of something bigger. In harmony with nature that we're now losing. And, while this vision was idealistic and somewhat naive, I do wish thad the walls that separate us between one and another are broken down. However, these walls don't exist in the real world but in our mind which means that we must be the ones to bring them down. To quote Gandhi: "We must be the change we want to see in the world".

A Cyber-Geist's Meditation

I'm writing this entry from my perspective as an observer of social media, after resolving that it was a good time to keep my distance from this modern phenomenon in the digitalized world. I decided to remain an audience to what others are submitting and posting. I wanted to cease, for a while, being an active participant. Granted, I can't claim that I achieved any great feat or accomplishment. Yes, it was difficult and, ironically, it was at these times when I would read a FaceBook update or a notification on my personal email that the temptation to respond was greater. I realize now how social media was consuming a lot of my free time. Time that, perhaps, could have been better spa t getting to know myself and the world that I inhabit. However, the idea behind social media is,, essentially, positive and commendable.

Indeed, social media is changing the rules of human relations. No longer do we find the barriers posed by the 'old' boundaries of age, time zones or geography. This is a period in our history when it appears that we have overcome the barriers that separated us. This is, however, only an idealized image of social media. If you look for it and even if you don't, you will find the same human afflictions that cause trouble in the real world: hate, ignorance and a materialistic world view that feeds on consumption and production. No wonder that social media is simultaneously the instrument of philanthropy and worthy causes, as well as misanthropy and hate speech. No wonder you find an article on spiritual happiness with advertisements from self-help courses promising wealth and financial prosperity. No surprise, then, that some have discovered that God is marketable as they go on about how their bible study course will win them eternal heaven.

There are, of course, a mixture of thoughts in my mind as I write this on a Saturday on August 20. However, you who are reading this now will be trying to figure out was the post is about in your present. I don't know what will become of me after I save this as a draft. For all I know, I might not be here. This is not a case of being morbid or negative. In fact, the reality of my possible death and impermanence have been the subject of my thoughts during my period of internet freedom. For, in many ways, ceasing to be part of social media turned me into what could be described as a cyber-geist or an internet ghost. Again, I realize that the social media changes the way we relate to our deceased friends' FaceBook pages, as an example, with profile pages becoming virtual  shrines and memorials.And this forces me to consider that even in the world where one can achieve technological immortality, there is a human aspect that - even if it attempts to deny or escape it - recognizes that we are just travelers here. And while social media may preserve part of who we are we wish to present to the world., we will all leave this life. 

There are things about who I am that I discovered during my moments of quiet meditation. Questions that I would rather avoided. Matters that I have put aside, hoping that they will go away. Personal issues that, I believe, are my own concern. However, what struck me most is the fact that our lives are often shaped by the world around us. We can't escape the fact that we're surrounded by people and technology that influences us - whether we participate in the exchange or not. In this respect, social media is an extreme form of how technology is changing not just how we live but who we are. In those moments when I was prone to reply to a social media message, I was aware that it would have been stupid of me to write what I planned to write. And I'm being generous with the verb "planned". I suspect that with the vast amount of information we have at our fingertips, we seem not to find the time to ask ourselves which information is of value or not. We find ourselves in a position where we are expected to reply immediately. Indeed, we are being encouraged to live impulsively. 

Of course, there is a lot to say about the positive impact that social media can have on the world. However, as with any other technology, we must know what the implications this technology may have on our dailly lives. I believe, that we are still don't understand this technology enough. But this isn't entirely our fault since social media is a relatively new technology. This is more reason to use this technology responsibly and with presence of mind. In other words, we need to know what we are doing. And perhaps more importantly, we need to develop our self-awareness as every time we interact on social media, whether we like it or not, we are presentng part of ourselves to the world. I, myself, have succumbed to the lure of social media with its promise of instant fame and recognition. In this sense, I now believe that it's important that in the process of relating to others, we also invest in getting to know who we are. Otherwise, we would be misleading others and, even worse, deceiving ourselves.

Into the Internet Wilderness

This is my last entry. At least, it'll the only one I will be writing for the next two weeks for sure. I'm also stopping from using social network for the coming two weeks. I have been thinking of becoming an Internet hermit for a while since I started my investigation of the nature of life through my study of Buddhism. I knew that I had become too reliant, and perhaps dependent, on social media. While our dependent natures are inescapable realities, not all forms of dependence were beneficial. And, I started wondering whether my use of social networks, and by extension, the Internet, getting out of hand? Was I perhaps hiding from a part of myself which I was reluctant to recognize or accept - preferring instead to choreograph a virtual life and masquerade as a person who was happy enough. At the same time, sincerely attempting to live up to an illusion with all the good intentions.. At the end of it all, I am asking who I had become to my inner self. Could I the free again from the imposition of a disillusioned identity I had created myself? More fundamentally, I have been asking myself whether I had allowed my Internet alter ego take over the basic values and aspirations I had before I became involved with the network. Admittedly, it wasn't that bad because I did make new friends and expanded my contacts. However, despite the friendships i have made and will make through social media, I think that it's more worthwhile if I took a step back and examine who I am in the context of a changing reality. Regrettably, I know that the modern world prevents me from being completely separate from the web of the internet spider. Indeed, I will have to keep using email to keep up with my work commitments. However, this fact that doesn't mean that I have to think of myself as a technological "slave". I believe that it is a matter of being mindful of your thoughts and feelings when using technology. Taking care to put it in the right place and not giving it power it does not have in its own right. I admit, I don't know if I will succeed in living without the use of social media for these two weeks or so.I will do my best to keep up away from social networks. I hope to learn something about myself and will come back with my observations on the The ZoneMind by the end of these two weeks.

So, until the 22ndAugust 2011, I'll be off from social networks, new media, and other forms of internet communication - with the exception of email. Until that date, I wish you all the best!!!



Marsaxlokk, Malta
Tuesday, 9th August 2011

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