INNER LIFE

Okay it’s time for some pretentious philosophizing from a shallow thinker and a guy who can waffle with the best of them. It all began with a few simple conversations with a few good folks. Some of these folks were considering or, at least had considered at one time or another, the big questions of life. A couple of other folks that I talked with really had never much considered any big questions nor were they interested in pursuing them at any time in the future. These non-considering types tended to think on a pretty narrow plane. They think about their next meal, their 401k plan, sports, TV shows and personalities and sex. And they don’t think about those subjects in any metaphysical way. The considering type of individuals were more individualistic. They have thoughts about life, death, religion, good and evil, right and wrong and sex. These people have questioned their place in the Universe. They have thought about spirituality and its necessity. They have read a book or two. They have paid attention to nature and the phases of existence. They have an Inner Life.

And some of the people who have an Inner Life are really simple and plain thinking folks. They have looked at some of life’s questions and made some decisions based on a minimum amount of study and then made various leaps of faith, which are willful acts. Others have studied long and hard, read the works of great thinkers, looked for real source documents and considered historical evidence and cogitated and meditated for many years. And some of those studious folks have ended up right where the simpler thinkers have arrived. But some haven’t.

It seems to me that people with an Inner Life are more interesting. They certainly seem to have more to talk about and when they discuss mundane and worldly things they usually bring more to the conversation. They can discuss the merits of a TV show with more to offer than the relative “hotness” of the male or female stars. A book or movie is a subject that can be viewed on more than one level. Politics can be discussed, or even argued, with the consideration of moral or immoral actions in the functioning of government and the people that are government functionaries.

There are some highly religious people who don’t really have an Inner Life. Those people arrived at their faith through some process that didn’t involve a lot of thought or questioning. Sometimes people who did go through a spiritual process reach a point where they choose to abandon their thought processes and give themselves up to repetitions of slogans and the exercise of ritual devoid of meaning or reason. Those people sometimes are the most dangerous of true believers because they might follow a leader or cause which they have failed to consider in light of its morality or sanity. In a sense I would rather there be a whole lot of folks who never bothered with anything approaching an Inner Life than one person who abandoned that Inner Life for unquestioning fervor.

So, what’s my point here, you ask? My point is that these are times that require all of us to be thoughtful and mentally active in the pursuit of the truth (with a capital T). Consider the big questions. Does my life mean something? Am I contributing to a better family, work place, town, state, country or world? Should I be concerned about the nature of Nature, the Spirit of spirituality or the Essence of existence? You get the idea, I’m sure. Be more than a fan of CSI or American Idol. Be more than a receiver and sender of mindless text messages. Be someone who has a vigorous and ongoing Inner Life.

Have a fine day.