Tempest; Meditation Is Brutal
Your mind has a mind of its own.
There is a popular misconception regarding meditation; that it's a break from real life and, if performed correctly, should induce a state of bliss. Interestingly, nothing could be farther from the truth! I've been meditating for decades, and it's never been more unpleasant than the past few days. In the face of real or imagined existential threats, the mind becomes agitated. This disorder is expected as the brain sorts through a torrent of new information. In my case, I often have little to no focus or calm during meditation. Why, then, meditate; what purpose does it serve if the mind remains chaotic?
Amid the chaos, the purpose of meditation is the same as it is at any other time; to more intimately observe the thinking process. Rather than push unpleasant thoughts away, I become curious about them and notice how they appear and disappear unbiddenly. I realize my mind has a mind of its own. It is easy to get captured by runaway thinking without knowing it; I spend a lot of time lost in thought! Awareness allows me to step off the ride, but I soon find myself on the train again; fortunately anger episodes are shorter, and I spend less time gone missing in worry. The ability to not be forever carried away by my thinking or reacting to others' thoughts is a kind of superpower.
My image' Tempest' recalls the value of experiencing stress during meditation.