It seems that the world is noisier now than it has ever been, in some cities and countries reaching nearly intolerable decibels. Around the world wars have escalated, and the blare of guns firing and bombs bursting fill the air. Antagonistic political and religious fanatics shout at each other until all that remains is a cacophony of unintelligible noise. Everything is faster, noisier, and more “extreme.” What doesn’t annoy our ears, shocks our eyes. Billboards, once merely unsightly, now electronically light up the night with promotions. Intrusive gimmicks sweep across our computer monitors like phantoms, and then stop, concealing our ability to read more important words beneath them. And, frequently, what we see is horrifying. Acts of violence and disastrous events that have produced pain and suffering are played over and over again, in full color, on the news. Where can peace be found in these times? And, is it possible to get there from here? Peace can be found within each of us, at the still, quiet core of our being. And the way to get there is through meditation.
We begin the journey by turning away from the outer world, closing our eyes, and turning within. There, in that inner-most space, we find that which seemed impossible and elusive, but was always there…peace. As we slow the pace of our breathing and allow our body to let go of stress and anxiety… we find peace. Through the slowing of the hyperactivity of our thoughts, until they gently drift, like falling leaves, and settle into quietness…we find peace.
This type of meditation clarifies every cell, fiber, and tissue of our being. In this way, this type of meditation can be healing. This type of meditation momentarily ends the chatter of our mind. In this way, it can be revealing.
The problems of body and mind depart when we meditate in this way, and they frequently do not return when we open our eyes and look at the world again. The peace that we have embodied within transforms into the peace of our actions in the world.
Today, maybe more than ever before, every one of us needs to meditate — to heal ourselves and, in that way, to heal the world.