Not dead yet, not by a long shot

We all reach periods in our lives when events unfold that cause us to question the path we're on and whether it feels right. One such case involved an American university lecturer in New York. Oneday, he opened his door to peer down the barrel of a .38 revolver to see real bullets in its chambers. His life flashed in front of him.

As this lecturer obediently lay on the floor, he wondered silently what the point was to all his formal education, and what life was really meant for if it could end so suddenly. Lucky for him, this drug dealer realized he had the wrong man before he pulled his trigger. The gunman apologized and left. The lecturer grew to feel that stranger was perhaps brought into his life by an angel, who desired that he discover a spiritual seeker inside himself. He felt he was given second chance to add meaning to life, and to meditate on the self. He evolved along a path to become a swami.

During my professional life, in varied roles, I've learned much about history, politics, how the external world works and who controls it. Yet, rarely have I met people who encourage me to explore my inner self. Science and tech developments have dazzled and challenged me yet, I sense they don't transform people. Adults research and collect information to expand the intellect, but this doesn't develop other levels, which they may in fact, disregard. Why is it people increasingly discover a disturbing emptiness amidst an influx of data? Inner worlds of thought and feeling deserve attention. Two people who entered my life remind me I still have much to discover.

One woman who influenced my revelations about life directions had considered the path of a nun, but later evolved to change her mind. Nonetheless, she remains a highly-spiritual person who encourages me to continue writing as a means to explore my inner consciousness. I met her intermittently in a foreign country. She has taught me that nurturing a positive mind can enable me to go beyond the mind, to better understand my inner self. I've learned it requires effort to turn off my thinking and the echo of outside influences. I learned to do that even after she recounted intermittent terrorist attacks close to her home that likely threatened her life.

One man who influenced my most recent revelations offered me a book which discusses the essence of the self. He met me in passing yet, seemed to know me. Later, he conveyed to me in writing that no amount of effort exterted in the wrong direction will attain my goal. He reminded me our true self can be experienced spontaneously, through what seems to be an accidental encounter or, interactions with a person who turns out to be an intuitive friend. This older engineering professor explained his work priorities didn't enable him to devote time he would've liked to his inner development, but he sensed I had other priorities. Not bad intuition for an angel of sorts, who met me for a handful of hours on a plane.

Throughout your life, people you meet enable you to open your eyes to the world around you and see it differently. Is your own self obscured by the thoughts and emotions of dissatisfaction? Imagine a murder took place and the victim was decapitated. If police asked you to identify the body and you asked for a mirror, what would this reveal? You'd realize you needn't look outside you to recognize who you are. You know, without looking into the mirror, that the corpse can't be you. Your sense of the inner world comes from knowing and introspection. Wherever you go, your inner world travels with you. You're not dead yet, not by a long shot.