by Ethan Johnson
July 6, 2006

I read an excellent item couched in a larger post over at Skepdic, which immediately inspired me to write this. The quote:

I wanted to write you to convey my deepest gratitude and respect to you and people like you. I was formerly a firm believer in the whole bag of new age rubbish. I bought into it all including homeopathy, astrology, gurus, acupuncture, energy healing, cranio-sacral therapy and most anything else that had a hippy tinge to it. I spent hours involved in daily meditation and even took time away from my college education to go on new age retreats that were not cheap.

(Emphasis added)

Kismet strikes thusly, as I was thinking earlier tonight that activities that turn us collectively into lard-asses are cheap, yet time-consuming, whereas activities that encourage physical fitness and total body health are expensive, and often take relatively little time. For example: Netflix charges a base rate of $20/month USD (roughly) to borrow DVDs. To justify the expense over pay-per-view or video rental (usually $3.99 USD/movie), you'd have to borrow 5-6 movies per month. At 2 hours per movie, that's a lot of sitting and staring. In fact, that is about 1 work day per month spent watching movies (cough).

On the other hand, a membership to a gym or health club is rather expensive, and the average workout time is 30-60 minutes per session. I don't have figures of how much memberships cost, but some health clubs mention that the membership fee involves an x% APR (annual percentage rate), similar to car financing or revolving debt. Translation: Not cheap. And there is more to it than sitting and staring, albeit for a shorter amount of time.

What struck me about the above bolded passage was the concern that meditation was taking valuable time away from other potentially enriching activities. If you're missing out on college because you're meditating, that's serious stuff. I think it is important to know yourself, but sooner or later you're going to need practical skills and experiences in the "real world" if for no other reason than to relate to others as you seek to minister to their individual needs. In the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, a line that stuck with me (fact or not) was when Jesus waves off special treatment at a spirtual development school stating that "whatever experiences Man would have, so will I." (Not an exact quote but close.)

This statement was very powerful for me personally. I have a condition that I will cheekily call "International agoraphobia". I'm fine in the protective bubble that is the continental United States, but I admit to being afraid of travelling internationally, even to Canada. This is a fairly irrational fear, but one that is not entirely without merit. There is the fact that it is easier to stay and live in a given comfort zone as well rather than attempt to understand new languages and use different forms of currency. Not to mention learn new customs. As I reflected on this line and my beliefs/fears about international travel, I found myself becoming freer in my thought and am more open to taking a trip abroad somewhere, even if it is close by like Canada or Mexico. I'll have more about this in a future article. What is important for now is that choosing my protective, safe "bubble" also shields me from the experiences of the rest of humanity that may be important and enriching for my own development.

Assuming that this is our one shot at life on Earth, do we really want to spend the bulk of our time meditating? Or in church? Or sitting at home afraid to travel abroad? Or sitting around discussing dry theory? Or watching television?

I don't decry the above as such; all are beneficial in their own way, in the proper context. But too much of a thing means not enough time doing anything else. I can say with pride that I once played Dungeons and Dragons literally from sundown to sunrise once or twice. It was utterly meaningless, but the guy who ran the game was incredibly creative and I thrived on that energy, however nerdy. The experience strikes me as more positive perhaps specifically because it was a rarity.

As for extended periods of meditation, my personal caveat is that the act must actually be accomplishing something. If you're sitting there quietly thinking about all of the unfinished business you have ahead of you, meditation may not be the best use of your time. If you're consciously avoiding reality and doing little more than daydream without a greater purpose, perhaps life beckons instead. I think meditation is an excellent practice, but as with all things moderation and purpose strike me as the best approach.

Take the necessary time to know yourself, that is key. But take time to live as well, in whatever forms that may take. After all, that's why you're here, right? <EM>