Posted 23//7/2013
Doing Nothing is Not, Not Doing Anything
A close friend's mother once remarked, "If everyone decides to run to the hills and meditate, who would do the day-to-day chores around the house?" It was an interesting comment, one made in passing, and one that I saw shared on Facebook. But the platform wasn’t the right place for me to respond in that moment, especially as the comment seemed directed at all of us in some way.
The truth is, not everyone can run to the hills or retreat to the forest, sitting by a river and meditating. In this day and age, it simply doesn’t happen that way. Most people would rather stay in their comfort zones, working tirelessly to "make it" in the world. It’s a lot easier to do so. To leave that comfort zone and wander into the wilderness of emptiness—that’s a choice very few would even think of taking. And those who do often return as different people.
Those who leave society to seek inner peace are often seen as outcasts. The world doesn’t quite know what to do with them. On the other hand, those who stay and follow the prescribed path—businessmen, doctors, lawyers—become successful. Society accepts them, rewards them, and they eat their slice of the pie in this world. But the one who returns from his retreat with nothing measurable-no-no—wealth, no status, no material gain—often faces judgment.
I’ve met a few of these wanderers—the ones who couldn’t settle for what society offered and sought instead the inner journey. They would return every now and then, with long hair, a deep gaze, and eyes that seemed to look through everything. They return changed, often struggling to fit back into the reality of society. They appear to be lost in limbo, but in reality, they have found something profound within themselves: a connection with the present moment, an awareness of the Now.
Yet, what does society care for the Now? Society cares about productivity—about making things happen, profiting, and benefiting from your ability to function creatively or, if necessary, by hook or by crook. It is in this world of materialism that modern-day spiritualism often finds its place. If there is a God to worship in today’s society, it is the Almighty Dollar—worshipped in daily chants for more wealth, more success. It is never enough, is it?
Here lies the contradiction: hypocrisy thrives in the worship of God to please God. But God doesn’t need our offerings; He doesn’t need to be pleased or appeased. Whatever we give in His name is for our own benefit, to satisfy society’s expectations. But if we truly wish to understand what God wants from us, let us serve our fellow man—feed the hungry, forgive the sinner, care for the destitute. Let us give without expecting return, as servants of God, offering our love to all beings without judgment.
True spirituality lies not in worshipping deities but in serving others. Servitude is prayer—it is the highest form of prayer, because it transcends words and actions meant for personal gain. To truly connect with the Divine is to align oneself with the needs of the world.
To be in the absolute present, to be free from the mental domination of the ego, to break free from the bonds of external distractions—these are the virtues we must strive to embody in our daily lives. The mind is like fire—it can either warm or burn us. Most of us live under the illusion that we are what we think ourselves to be, but that is the greatest illusion of all.
To see this, we often need to remove ourselves from the influences of our daily environment—the sounds, the smells, the constant distractions, the routines that reinforce the illusion. To truly experience awakening, we must silence the mental activities that arise from living in a world of constant stimuli.
This is why many seekers withdraw from the world—from the chaos, to find tranquility. It is in these retreats, these periods of silence and solitude, that we can begin to reconnect with what is truly real. Slowing down, taking a closer look at what is, and being in the Now is the first step toward awakening.
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