The Surface World

The human mind likes novelties. We constantly need stimulus and diversions. It is no wonder why solitary confinement is so dreaded even among seasoned prisoners. 

And yet, there are monks who choose to meditate alone in a cave for years. These mental athletes know that beneath the surface noise of the mind, lies latent truths about the reality of our existence. But for most of us, our lives are spent swimming on that foamy and turbulent surface, trying to stay afloat, believing that deep down beneath, only annihilation awaits us.

Every time we turn on the TV, every time we click a web link or swipe our phone, we are making an unconscious move to remain afloat on the noisy surface. It brings a whole new meaning to 'surfing'. 

To live on this surface, we need to be connected to the larger world, so that we do not sink into a nothingness, which is like a dreaded abyss. The Tibetan monks have no such fear; instead they become explorers of this terra incognita. But we surface-dwellers are always feeling insecure. 

 Our need for novelty make us susceptible to juicy gossips, scandalous rumours and outlandish conspiracy theories. We want to believe that the world is fully of heroes or villains and nothing in between, when in reality most people are neither. We want things in stark contrast against each other because it takes a lot of brain CPU time to make subtle distinctions.

The simpler things are, the easier it is for the brain to digest them. The brain like its low-brow counterpart, the stomach, is addicted to junk food. Bite-sized, interesting and juicy information are what it desires most. And that's what we get from Tweets and other social media.

It is no wonder that the world is no longer able to decide what is the truth anymore. We can no longer agree even on facts. There are always 'alternate facts'. And we can easily contaminate facts by simply labeling it as 'fake news'. We can make conspiracy theories acceptable by simply broadcasting it loudly, as if they are facts.

We are sharing a planet but not a world anymore. How did we arrive here? In a way, it is inevitable. Technology such as social media merely amplified divisions which have always been there. 

The surface world is fractured. Everyone clings tightly to whatever they are comfortable with, for fear of falling through the cracks. If we just would care to peer down these cracks, we could catch a glimpse of what those Tibetan monks spend their lives seeking, in those cold dark caves.

Spiritual Fitness

I have kind of fallen behind my blogging schedule a bit as it has been an incredibly busy week for me against the backdrop of a gripping US presidential election, which kicked off on the 3rd of November 2020. Joe Biden finally prevailed against Trump to the relief of many. But as expected, we now have to deal with a supposedly outgoing president who is unwilling to concede and has been stirring up unsubstantiated accusations of voter fraud.

We all expected this. Just that we don't know how it will play out. To non-US citizens like us, this is the only time that we don't envy being Americans: the pandemic is raging there unchecked; Trump is rallying his diehard supporters and they could create trouble in the streets.

Here in Malaysia, the lockdown in the Klang Valley has been extended again to 6 December. It makes no difference to me now as I am completely home-bound. So much soul-searching to do for everyone and for every business big and small out there who have been severely tested.

I am still trying to make my days more efficient--ensuring that I get enough sleep and making sure that I am able to do all my essential life and spiritual maintenance activities. This blogging routine is one of them. And in the past week, I've slipped slightly. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick it up again. 

The only thing that I have not had the opportunity to do much is listening to my audiobooks as I have not been driving much. I only make runs to the grocery store on weekends. Weekends are very precious now. Yesterday I was able to jog in the park and had the opportunity to listen to my audiobook in the process. 

It is interesting to see how life is going to be when the pandemic finally ceases. There's already good news on the horizon, with Pfizer announcing a vaccine that's 90 percent effective. But the logistics of distribution is going to prevent this from being available widely for a while as it requires sub-zero refrigeration. 

Perhaps the pandemic has taught us to value life a lot more. Perhaps something good will come out of all this. As a glimmer of hope appears, let's all make a resolve to do better in the days and months to come. I will continue with my routine of working from home for a while as this is my present commitment. This stint of lockdown is good training for the soul. And hopefully we'll all emerge from it spiritually fitter.