Continued....

I thought of this after posting the last entry and wanted to expand on what I wrote before....

If we are to reach enlightenment, to become truly happy, to attain a state known to yogis as "samadhi" or bliss, which ultimately is the goal* and what I have decided for myself is the "meaning of life", then we must find the strength within to get ourselves there. If we rely on encouragement and support from others, (not to say these things are bad) then we are putting our happiness and ultimately our lives in the hands of others. Our contentment is fleeting if it is only brought on by compliments from others and our state of mind is at the whim of those around us. To find true happiness we must be able to cultivate it on our own and be able to maintain it without external influence (a steady-state of contentment). If we rely solely on the words and actions of others to make us happy then we are caught in a cycle of fluctuating emotions.

That is the idea behind not giving compliments. It sounds harsh to state it as a rule like that, and it's not meant to be absolute. It is tied to the idea of being ego-less in that if it is the compliments that you receive that make you who you are, then you are empty without them.

Of course things like this are never black and white. I have only just put my toe in the shallow end of the pool of knowledge that makes up this particular philosophy on life. Thank you so much for the comments; I appreciate being able to write down the thoughts in my head to clarify them and also to hear your opinions. :)

By the way, I feel much better today and I might indulge in some leftover ice cream cake when I get hit by the daily mid-afternoon lull. Although all that sugar will most likely just bring on another crash... maybe I can hold off. Heh we'll see. Oh and as an interesting coincidence, there was an interview on The Hour last night with Ricky Williams ("And Ricky Wore Crocs") where he talks about how he dealt with his drug addictions by turning to meditation and yoga and the natural high he gets from them. Check it out!

PS. Happy June 1st! Do the days, weeks, months and years keep going by at an increasing pace the older you get? I want to make time slow down!

*In the Bhagavad Gita the message is that until we reach enlightenment, we are caught in the cycle of death and rebirth. When we do become truly at peace we become one with "the Divine." With each cycle, we enter the world with the same mental state as we left the previous time, so that little by little we make our way to God. I don't feel comfortable with the notion of reaching and becoming one with God - this isn't God in the sense with which we are familiar (some dude up in heaven - this is insensitive and inaccurate, I know) and that is perhaps why I am hesitant; this is God in the sense of Everything, which is hard to grasp. I am interested in the teachings and the mental, personal growth. Alright, that's enough for now... something to think about... :)