Soul Coma
Reading is magical. Black marks on a white page can transport and transform us.
I was skimming some black marks on a page recently when those marks formed into two words that stopped me: soul coma. Those two words transported me into an exploration of the meaning of both words then took me inward into an exploration of my soul and outward into an exploration of the soul of our country.
I have only recently become acquainted with my soul. That happens in the later years of life. I think my soul has been in a coma for some time much like a patient in a hospital bed who is still alive, but not really.
Reflecting on my life, it seems that much of it has been lived in the five senses. The only things that were important to me were things that I could see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Lots of fun, but it always left me wanting more. The five senses only provide momentary satisfaction. They are insatiable.
After the rush leaves, the words from the classic Peggy Lee song return. You may not remember that song, but there’s a lot of truth in those lyrics:
Is that all there is, is that all there is?
If that’s all there is my friends,
then let’s keep dancing.
Let’s break out the booze and have a ball
If that’s all there is.
Our country’s soul is in a coma. We’re breaking out the booze, having a ball, and searching for more instant gratification. We’re on a hedonic treadmill looking for happiness in all the wrong places. We’re still recovering from 4 years of soulless leadership that has polarized our country and turned us against each other.
How do we wake up our souls? We can’t touch it, taste it, smell it, hear it, or see it. Well, maybe we can hear it. But, we have to stop the noise from the other senses.
There’s an ancient art that has been waking up souls for hundreds of years but has been largely ignored in our country because of our obsession with accumulating, competition, and ego gratification. It’s called mindfulness and meditation.
Be still. Be quiet. Listen to your breath. Your mind will settle like a snow globe that is sitting still, and your soul will come out of its coma.