Take a seat
When we began to go around the room and share about our "inner garden," it was a repeated theme that many of the older gentlemen were never taught anything about tending to, much less looking at, their inner worlds during developmental years. We sat there for a moment with the honest truth that things hadn't always necessarily been all rainbows and sunshine. From a lack of education and emphasized importance on this aspect of life, perhaps even mockery amongst certain "masculine" circles, to the inevitable wake up call which asks for one to pay attention to what's going on internally - it's a journey that you don't even realize is asking to be had until life forces you to take it. For the men that had developed a tinge of mastery in this art of internal self acknowledgement, they were very clear about how life changing and different it was from the ways they were taught to approach life growing up. Thinking this external playing field was all that there was to go and master, we’ve neglected the fact that this has always been the lesser battle. We won't get into it here, but the work of 2022 Physics Nobel Prize winners demonstrated that our Universe isn't even locally real. Donald Hoffman lays out a fairly convincing scientifically based explanation that argues the physical world we are used to interfacing with is illusory in its nature as-well. We are living in the world of māyā(mā "not" and yā "this"), defined in Vedic texts as "a magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem." The idea that this external world is an illusion was greeted by nineteenth century European thinkers as proof of India’s inability to cope with the practical world, but as we move further into the high tech era, the theories for our world being some sort of simulation seem to have only grown and found more evidence. The inner garden, our consciousness, is perhaps one of the few things that we can know for certain as real. When looking through this lens, tending to our inner-garden's needs could be seen as a sacred duty. It is the most important work that we could do. Every ounce of effort towards this venture is more than exponentially worth its weight in gold.
A certain level of anxiety and rigidness can be useful in helping us to navigate our environment intelligently. We need to pay attention and sometimes move slowly so that we can be discerning. For anyone with eyes to see, it’s clear things have gotten out of hand. Our new normal has shifted to dysfunction, not that a close look into the past wouldn't find similar themes. Illnesses, both mental and physical, have been increasing due to our collective lifestyles - despite tremendous advances in health care and technology. Our current approach is not working, and is oftentimes even damaging. The way our culture has been set up holds the capacity to influence us in tremendously harmful ways, and it only seems to be getting worse. Amongst the chaotic and wild winds, it is crucial that we protect ourselves so as to not fly away. We may have to use every stake available to nail our tent into the ground and root ourselves firmly to the Earth. It is important to realize the fact that we hold the capacity to become stuck in our defenses and without our awareness, unconsciously caught in the tumultuous emotions of our time. When winds subside and the sun begins to gleam through the grey clouds, we are still left with the memories of roaring thunder drowning out the sound of our voice, raging winds destabilizing us and our belongings, and the incessant downpour pelting us as we tried to navigate it all, bootstraps slipping on the muddy matter moving beneath us as we tried to establish safety.
The surest foot, one which has walked the path for many years, can stumble upon on a hidden stone. The smoothest sea, perhaps the one beneath the path of the surest foot, will ripple when a rock plunges into its still waters. Jesus, the divine man we hear so much about, seemed to be well equipped at flipping tables. From having to adapt to this need for standing guard before the minds eye, amplified by our developments in technology, to defend and keep watch for some of the drivel "brain-rot" being sold to us as the new way forward, our backs may begin to buckle as we fold under the heaviness this mental armor we are forced to equip holds. At times it is important and honorable to confront and call out reprehensible behavior, to care for ourselves and others in intense, direct and powerful ways. To enact forceful boundaries, let our values be heard, assert our needs, engage in conflict, and to make use of the energies of aggression. However, if we aren’t careful, we may find ourselves transfixed by the abyss, only to realize that it has been staring back into us, as Nietzsche had warned. The result - backlash from the damaging effects of toxic thoughts and stress, a society with record levels of anxiety and depression, and a populace growing in its vulnerability to disease.
This exploration is not a new path, but a rediscovery of an ancient one.
This garden, an inner sanctuary, is not a place of escape, but rather a source of strength.
It is a wellspring from which we draw the courage to face the world with open eyes and a steady heart, to shape profound meaning and beauty out of the turbulence of life.
It is here, in the quiet tending of our inner landscape, that we rediscover the enduring power of peace, that we come to observe the profound divinity which exists at the deepest core of our being.
As of December 2023, 169 million people in the United States, over half of the population, live in a Mental Health Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA.)) Even if you are lucky enough to get in to see someone, there’s a chance that the guy/gal you’re going to be working with is not going to be able to help you. As well intentioned as one may be, the knowledge therapists operate from can at times be simply insufficient to bring you any relief. The industry as a whole may be due for an update. Research into peoples experiences online. So many thousands upon thousands face frustrations and have a terrible time getting nothing out of it. Anywhere from 50 to 75 percent of people who go to therapy report some benefit—but at least 5 percent of clients get worse as a result of treatment. The other remainder report no clear benefit at all. The mental health care system in America has hardly acknowledged the existence of bad therapy, let alone taken any steps to help fix the problem. Especially since the Covid pandemic, which sent the demand for therapy soaring, the emphasis is on the quantity of open appointments instead of their quality. The rise of apps such as Better Health or Talkspace only makes things even more confusing for people looking for help, and in my opinion, seems a bit like a money grab. They advertise through influencers and put on this facade of wanting to help, but it’s clear their is also an enormous drive to pull in as much profit as possible. The beautiful thing about this all is that we live in a time where we don’t have to become dependent on another to regulate ourselves. We can learn the tools and knowledge to treat ourselves, and with a bit of time, become our own healers.