Busy, busy, busy. That's the modern
life. And when it's not, we fill our “spare” time with
consumerist oriented activities. I don't know why. Maybe it's the
commercial brainwashing we receive daily from obvious and not so
obvious sources. Maybe it's because we've become so accustomed to
being pushed to “be somebody” that we're afraid to just be. In
any case, the modern lifestyle seems ill-suited for Buddha-like deep
thought processes or even ordinary, old-time, simple living, does it?
To complicate things further,
independent living is being phased out at a rapid rate. That cabin in
the woods has to pass a multitude of inspections, comply with
meticulous building standards, etc. Gone are the days of sod houses
and “forty acres and a mule.” Heaven forbid that we would take it
upon ourselves to live off the land.
Oh, you can't even camp on your own
land now, except for 2 weeks out of the year in most places. Really?
I could swear that I paid for this piece of dirt. I can't live on it
how I choose?
Of course, the real issue is that if
someone, somewhere isn't making a buck from it, chances are, it's
illegal these days. Heck, in some regions, even collecting rain
water, which falls freely from the sky and literally belongs to no
one, is illegal. Because by collecting it, you reduce the profit of
the water company. Wow!
What a difference this is from the days
when Buddha walked the earth, spreading his message of peaceful
awareness. He saw the birth of commercialism and was appalled and
revolted by it. Imagine what he would think of the world we live in
now. Would he be able to find a quiet corner to ponder life in? Would
he be able to find serenity in the here and now?
Because, you guys, I'm having a heck of
a time doing just that. And sure, my house is a little fuller than
most. But that's not the whole issue. In fact, most of the problems I
have with finding peace involve dealing with living up to modern
standards of acceptable existence. I'm not exactly ghetto, but I am
old school. I enjoy a little bit of roughing it. Perfect is
boring with a capital B. And working just to support my possessions?
I don't really care for that, thank-you.
I guess the “American Dream” falls
a little short for me.
I do enjoy home ownership. I was raised
in a home built by my Dad and Uncles. But once I left home, things
were getting less affordable, so I rented for many years. Now, while
I'm happy enough in our little suburban fixer-upper, I still long for
the simple country life I had as a child. So uncomplicated. So
conducive to the peaceful, Buddha-like existence that I'm striving
for. So nonexistent these days. It seems that even most country folks
now strive to conform to societal success. Sigh...
Anyway... I'm not sure I can get as
close to awareness, peace and enlightenment as the Buddha did. I'm an
independent thinker, for sure, though. I haven't met many others who
are actually able to leave behind all preconceived notions and
societal ways while mulling things over. Most folks think within the
realm of their learned thoughts and behaviors, which, these days,
consists of a lot of consumerist hogwash.
Newsflash:
If adopting a particular way of life
requires you to buy something, it's probably a load of crap. You
don't even need that cabin in the woods. What you need is already
within you. You just need to embrace it and give it some room to
breathe.
Folks, we're exhausting ourselves,
trying to keep up with all these false impressions of who we should
be. If the Buddha were alive today, I believe he would say, “Just
be.” I guess the modern equivalent would be, “Don't worry, be
happy.” You know, we really should stop feeling guilty about not
being super-productive every second of the day. It's so nice to just
exist, ponder and reflect.
So, yes, attaining Buddha-like peace is
possible in the modern world. You just have to clear your head of all
the years of nonsense that life in a consumerist society has put into
it. Life is short. Be the love.
Now, I'm off to do just that.