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In Eastern philosophy there are 4 states of life: waking,
sleeping, dreaming and meditating.
In Western culture, as Deborah King has
pointed out, meditating is better understood as contemplating.
(In the West we
emphasize the logical/analytical approach more than the Eastern focus on the
intuitive/creative.)
There are healthy and unhealthy ways to wake, sleep, dream
and contemplate, and Eastern philosophy emphasizes using
meditation/contemplation to heal unhealthy states.
Today Western Civilization is caught is an unhealthy sleep
state.
Most in this society literally wake each day feeling tired rather than
fully refreshed, and even though we know the main things that are wrong with
our nations we do little to change them.
We are culturally asleep, a bit groggy
when we are awake, and then back to sleep. And we dream little in modern
society.
Modern Western nations are stuck in a negative contemplation
loop, where all is expected to be analyzed, planned, logical and realistic--but where
little changes.
We too often define "realistic" without the benefit of our
deepest hopes and dreams.
Indeed, dreams are seen as the opposite of real.
There are, of course, exceptions to this rut--but the
majority of our society is caught in this state.
The solution, according to
Eastern philosophy, is to utilize our contemplative abilities to rekindle our
dreams and eventually awaken to our potential and the exciting possibilities.
In the West, the greatest source of contemplation, dreaming
big, creativity and innovation has been recorded in the great classics.
But we
must read them not like school assignments but rather as leisure entertainment.
If we read them to get through them, we will miss their depth.
We must read the
great books for fun, with smiling faces and a pen and notebook to record our
thoughts.
As we do this, our whole brain awakens. We dream, and we innovate. We
are inspired to take initiative. This is the power of the greats.
There is a boldness and charisma to those whose lives are spent
awake--living their dreams and inviting others to do the same. This is the
opposite of midlife crisis, it is the adult awakening.
"I am here on earth for a reason. A purpose. I have a life
mission. It is difficult and at times scary. And so exhilarating. It is time to
become the real me."
Is it time?
Is it time for you? Maybe.
Is it time for America? Absolutely.
At some point we will awaken, and when this occurs we will
sway the future in our path.
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Social Leader Daily by Oliver DeMille
