It is a great example of being able to get a lot from a book from a person you disagree a lot with. In fact, I probably don't disagree with her as much as I initially thought.
So far, one of my favourite quotes from the book is...
'Happiness is the consequence of personal effort'which is in turn her quoting someone else.
I have just started listening to a philosophy course by Shelly Kagan in which he talks about people ascribing explanations to things because you can't explain it. In other words... this happened... therefore this, which I can't prove but seems to make sense, is true. That seems in part a valid approach to make sense of a messy world. But the test, as he points out, should really be... this is the best possible explanation. If an explanation is required.
My point is... I fully believe in the power of the human mind. I am a strong believer in intense emotions... elation, disgust. I find the world amazing. I love some people. I struggle with some people. Some things make me sick to the pit of my stomach. There are things that don't make sense to me. There are things that are really important. The world seems amazing enough to me without having to have any explanation or reason.
The idea of meditation as a calming of the mind with the potential for 'out of body' experiences seems very possible to me when you listen to the experiences of someone like Jill Bolte Taylor (one of the most amazing TED talks there is). She wasn't meditating. She had a stroke. But the idea that that part of your brain that lets you know you are separate from the rest of the world can go to sleep... seems very possible to me. The idea that in reality none of us are truly separate from the rest of the world and that we are connected seems completely true.
And for me, that is enough. I am happy to say I live in an incredible world that is full of randomness and crazy events, but that I have a lot of control over what is going to happen next in my life. I am happy to learn more about how my mind and others work, to understand my and other peoples emotions better and to enjoy the journey.
I don't think there needs to be any supernatural explanation for a natural world that is both so incredible and so tragic at the same time.
Exciting Times.
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