Wake Up While You Can

It's important to remember that there was a time not that long ago when all doctors prescribed smoking cigarettes as a good way to relax and achieve health. Then it was discovered that actually they were a good way to get sick and die.

Not all doctors are idiots (although some of them might be), but they only know what they've been taught in school and what they've experienced in their own lives. Not gurus or seers, they are often clueless about what really helps in many situations. For example, they never suggest the practice of meditation as a legitimate route to wellness.

Consequently, relatively few people engage in meditation on a regular basis. Instead they watch violent and gruesome dramas on TV or play pointless video games that mean nothing. Even reading books has fallen by the wayside for the average American, including those of us who made our way through gigantic tomes like Beowulf and Moby Dick in high school and college. 

I'm one of those average Americans who no longer reads books for an hour a day and instead plays Words With Friends on my iPhone, telling myself that it's good for my brain and since my mother died of Alzheimer's I pretty much have to do it. This is, of course, hogwash.

Fortunately I was recently introduced (thank you Deneb!) to the wisdom of Sam Harris, which he dispenses in a podcast called Making Sense and an online meditation class called Waking Up. His observations on how we squander our thoughts and thereby waste our precious time have been helpful in calming my anxiety, dissipating my anger and most importantly, relieving my pervasive sadness.  Google Sam and sign up for a free trial.