Clean the Mind Too

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As I shopped around a local grocery store and noticed everyone wiping, masking, distancing, and sanitizing like there’s no tomorrow (maybe there is no tomorrow), I pondered a few things.

Like how strange it is we’ve washed our hands more than ever these last few months but we haven’t given much attention to the washing and cleaning of the mind.

Like how strange it is that we are meticulous at planning our quarantines our testing protocols and our sanitization strategies but we’re somehow too busy to meditate.

Like how strange it is that we fear death more than anything but spend so much of our life playing small, poisoning our bodies, and living a life dictated by someone else’s desires.

Like how strange it is that we want the best for our children but we do so little to set a living example for them - how to conquer anxiety? How to feel and cherish each breath? How to handle anger and opposition with grace? How to be grateful?

When this post download came to me I almost laughed out loud. It IS kind of funny, in a Donny Darko way perhaps, that the vas majority of us don’t do the slightest of daily scrubbing of our subconscious mind but we can’t imagine shaking a stranger’s hand or touching a door handle without sanitizer nearby.

Let me tell you this - an overloaded and over pressurized subconscious mind is dangerous. A life that’s full of judgmental justifications of othering is deadly to the heart. A person living in fear is at a high risk of suffocating all creative potential and life force.

As my late teacher used to say, meditation is a civic duty. Perhaps it is the most important one - in my personal opinion. Are you practicing your duty or being selfish with your incarnation?

Us humans are fascinating creatures. Still so much to learn. Still so much maturing to do. Even so - I am eternally optimistic at the possibility of growth. Agaginst all odds, I’m rooting for us. And I’m laughing at how some of you will think this is just me being dramatic and go about your day.

And a few of you - just a few - will be shaken enough to make a change. And that is worth it to me.

Joanna Andreae