IS MEDITATION FOR EVERYBODY?

(Extract from my book The Secret of Loneliness in the Second Half of Life. Amazon)

The Indian philosopher J. Krishnamurti (1895-1986) stated that if we meditate by sitting in front of a wall, the only thing we will achieve is a dull mind. Perhaps his statement is a little extreme, but I really believe that each one of us needs to find his own way of reflecting. Let’s think of the verb to meditate as meaning to ponder and think on those matters that are at the core of our life and that prevent us from being at peace with ourselves. It matters little if we do our thinking sitting down with our eyes closed or walking in a park full of magnificent vegetation. The important thing is that we decide to do it and do it conscientiously. In my case, early every morning, I walk my dog in a state park located on a Florida key. With my cell tuned on a classical music radio station, I walk and at the same time observe nature, its plants, its birds, and its beaches. In this amazing scenario, not only I purify my mind, but I also ponder on the theme of the day, which can be a memory from long ago, a recent conversation with my son, a message I just received, or a subject to write about in my blog. The goal of my meditation consists in detecting what are those events that disturb me. Let’s remember that our emotions are the thermometer of our soul because they are the ones who point out to us what needs to be reviewed. Since emotions have a life of their own, they will show us the path that we need to follow to expand our knowledge of who we are. However, since my meditation does not consist in sitting in front of a shrine eyes closed, whenever I meet another human being doing the same thing as I am doing, I am glad to greet. My greeting is usually met with a smile, and this gesture adds meaning to my day as well as it increases my feeling of connection with others.