Seeking the Silver Bullet

We want 

A solution

An answer

A pill

A medicine

A magical being

To make suffering end


In order 

To be 

Skinnier 

Healthier

More wealthy

Successful

Lovable 

Make life easier


If only we could wave a magic wand

Or stick to the diet

Or do the affirmations

Or follow the right guru 

Or read the right books 

Or do the exercises

Or make the bad people go away


We desire 

Quick fixes

Instant solutions 


We wanted to be better yesterday

Last year 

Ten years ago

And still we’re waiting.


Meditation 

Doesn’t make you better

It doesn’t provide 

The silver bullet

To curing life’s ills

It is not the be all and end all 

To achieving happiness


But it does take the edge off 

Allows for moments of clarity

Moments of peace 

Moments of stillness 


It is free

You don’t need any special skills

You don’t need to be any kind of person

You don’t need to believe in anything or anyone


Just pay attention

Without judgement 

And repeat.

This post originally appeared at my Vivalu Meditation site. 

I Could Never Be a Vegetarian

I distinctly remember
As a teenager
Eating a chicken leg
Actually gnawing on the gristle
And declaring to my vegetarian step-mum
"I could NEVER be a vegetarian.
I LOVE meat!"
Nom nom nom.

And then
When I was twenty-something
I got sick
Really sick
I was sick for a year
I had everything
Laryngitis
Bronchitis
Influenza
I got sick of being sick
I did a bit of research
And decided what was making me ill
Was my diet

I cut out meat
And boosted my intake
Of fresh leafy greens
Became friends with farmers' markets
And devoured
All colours of the rainbow
In fruit and vegetable form

I did it slowly over time
To get used to new flavours
New ways of cooking
And you know what?
I stopped getting sick
I started appreciating
Food
I learnt how to cook
With what was available
And seasonal and fresh

If you had told my teenage self
That one night
For fun
I would whip together
Raw courgette and carrot noodles
With a red pepper and pine nut sauce
And meatless eggplant balls
Because those were what she had in the fridge
She would have laughed
And said
"GROSS! Where's the MEAT?!
That meal has NOTHING in it!"

But my present-day-self
Offers thanks
To the farmers who grew all the veggies
The people that delivered them
And the recipes that inspired their ultimate
Delicious consumption

The end.

Do You Hear the People Sing?

This is the beginning 

Of the beginning

Or so they say

But there’s definitely a rumble and a stir

A change in the air that says

Something’s coming, something good

As people of all ages and backgrounds 

Gather to demand something different 

A change in the way things are run

They converge in city squares 

And in front of financial institutions

They bring tents 

And attempt to give voice to everyone present

They even occupy empty bank buildings

Reclaiming the space for the public

To say alright! We’ve had enough! 

We’re sick and tired of a world 

Governed in a way that is  

Unsustainable, unhealthy, unjust

As Matt Taibbi’s friend says, 

f*#! this shit! 

And it’s not just America.

It’s Egypt and Tunisia and Libya and Bahrain and Syria and Yemen and Algeria and Iraq and Jordan and Morocco and Oman and Kuwait and Lebanon and Mauritania and Saudi Arabia and Sudan and Western Sahara and South Africa and Spain and Greece and France and Germany and Portugal and England and Ireland and Scotland and Canada and Argentina and Mexico and Brazil and Hong Kong and Malaysia and Australia and New Zealand and the list goes on and on...

And as the protests grow and refuse to be catergorized

Refuse to be silenced

The police show up in ever increasing numbers

With riot gear and pepper spray

And the right-wing politicians tell those damned hippies to go home and take a shower

At the end of the day

What are we fighting for?

Police v. protestors v. politicians v. presidents v. prime ministers v. people

Whatever costume you’re wearing

It’s all people fighting people fighting people

As twenty-something Kate Monster asks,

Why can’t people love each other and get along Christmas Eve? 

I hope this is a chance for change

For the system to be made accountable

To create a world that is 

Sustainable, healthy, just

We have to believe something better is possible 

Or we will never even be able to attempt to create it