When we are bored or dissatisfied with life, we should look to new teachers.
Please discuss. How does this play out in life?
I’ll start us out. We all have days that feel like drudgery. Nothing seems to interest or satisfy us; everything feels like work. Usually we can snap ourselves out of temporary funks. We have tried and true recovery methods—exercise, a good meal, conversation with a friend, a good book or movie, meditation or prayer, playing with children or pets. Sometimes our case of the blahs lasts longer and seems persistent. We may not be quite sure how to shake it off.
When our current routine has us feeling stuck, it’s time to shake it up. We may need to try something new, something outside of our usual realm of interest. If we’re generally intellectual, we may wish to explore exercise, sports, or dancing. If we’re usually physical, we may want to investigate learning a foreign language, reading a book on philosophy, or trying our hand at sudoku. Creative types can consider logical pursuits, and logical types can dabble in art or music. The point is for us to engage in activities outside of our self-imposed comfort zones.
Our interests and outlooks are shaped by our own experience and the experience of those who’ve taught or influenced us. To further inject novelty into our lives, we can consciously seek out respectful interaction with those whose ideas, skills, and life learning are different than ours. We will broaden our understanding and may learn new ways to think, act, and be.
Today’s message is a call for me to look at all aspects of life—plant, animal, vegetable, mineral, forces of nature—as potential teachers. If I open my awareness to rain, spiders, roses, raccoons, plantain weeds, granite outcroppings, and wind as all presenting something for me to learn, I will expand out of my usual routine into a world of magic and mystery. I need only to open up to the myriad possibilities on offer.
How about you? What might you try to expand your experience?