Excerpt from Living Simply...

...an article that was written by an anonymous student in Colorado after the Columbine shootings. I'd like to share part of this with you, as it paints a picture that sets the context for the importance of Spiritual work in the practice of or living the allusion that we call life.

“The paradox of the time that we live in is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints, we spend more time working yet have less to show for it, we buy more but enjoy it less, we have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences but less time. We have more degrees but less common sense, more knowledge but less discernment, more experts yet more problems. We talk too much and love too seldom and hate more often."

( I'd personally like to interject hear that often when what looks like love is given, it is given conditionally, for example, there is an element of “What is in it for me?” that comes across loud and clear rather than love that is just given completely without an expectation of any return.) Now back to our writer:

"We've learned how to make a living, but not a life, we've added years to life but not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back but sometimes have trouble crossing the street to meet our neighbor. We've conquered outer space but not inner space. We've gotten better at clearing up the air but have polluted the soul. We've split the atom but not our prejudices. We have higher incomes but lower morals. We've become long on quantity but short on quality. These are the times of tall men of short character, deep profits and shallow relationships, the days of two incomes, yet more bills and more divorce. And finally, fancier houses yet more broken homes.”