What would your strategy for life be if things were darker? Asked another way: what would you do if life on Earth was more challenging than it currently is? What if there was more censorship, more control, more corruption, more manipulation, more destruction? What would your strategy for life be?
I’ve asked myself this as a thought experiment and always come to the same answer: I would meditate more. I would bring impeccable awareness to every area of my life. That’s what I would do.
When we shine the light of awareness on darker, less desirable circumstances, it transmutes. It sounds simple, but it’s not an easy thing to do consistently for years on end. It requires facing all manner of uncomfortable emotions repeatedly.
Also when we do this work—the work of becoming more conscious and mindful—we also become more sensitive. This too is difficult. Being sensitive in a (sometimes) brutal world is hard. Because of this there’s always a tendency to pull back into the shell of oblivion. There’s natural tendency towards unconsciousness because this is the norm.
But we need sensitive awareness if we want to change things for the better. We won’t bumble our way to a better future. And sensitivity allows us to navigate life with more precision and clarity. It allows us to spot things we might otherwise miss. Awareness allows us to break destructive patterns. Inside the shell, things get darker. Outside, in the light, we might build agency.