All in The Why I... Series

Why I Meditate: Finding Peace in Our Hyperconnected World

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The Why I... Series

“What a joy it is to be on an incompleteable path.” - Henry Shukman, Sanbo Zen Master

I actually want to write about my zen practice. But I feel like setting the stage with meditation more generally is a better place to begin.

The world is afire, literally and metaphorically. It’s been almost 20 years since suddenly everyone had smart phones. We started opening and refreshing feeds—no, waterfalls—of problems, tasks, and agendas. Priorities set by companies, organizations, influencers, bots. This technology added hundreds of new voices to our daily experience. Embedded in dopamine, streaming constantly. Directly to you, 24/7.

So, you’re telling me we already got this damn monkey mind that won’t shut up, that fills us with suffering well enough…and now we’re injecting doomscrolling into the mix?

Of course people need meditation. We need it more than ever.

[Continue reading…]

Introducing: My “Why I…” Series

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The Why I... Series

“In the first half of your life you build a container, and then the second half you fill it up.” - a paraphrased quote attributable to Richard Rohr as far as I can tell

I heard this quote in the course of my zen studies. As a middle-aged human, it really struck me. This blog is a container that I’ll fill by writing about key lessons from my life experience. It’s a wiki-in-progress, a place to share ideas and tactics that have helped me and might help others.

To create a foundation of core principles and positions on the tentpole topics of life, it made sense to start this new blog off with my “Why I…” series. I’ll publish pieces on topics like why I prioritize sleep, why I meditate, why I’m not drinking alcohol this year, and so on. Over time, I’ll be able to refer back to and link to these foundational topics.

I’ll share stories about my experience and how I overcame challenges. I’ve noticed that I’m able to flip perspectives on basic assumptions that can empower change.