Recently I finished writing a spiritual novel entitled The Daring Adventures of Seymour Dooless: Tales of What Matters. The story tells of a man searching for more, yet his definition of more constantly changes. Most of us have a bit, if not a lot, of Seymour in us. We strive for material success, yet once we have it, we find it is not enough. We long for love only to feel disappointed when its appearance in our lives does not solve all our problems. We seek a more confident, highly functioning self only to discover that it is the larger Self that has been calling to us all along. Yet, the reverse is also true. We may pursuit the spiritual only to become frustrated over time with our lack of material success. After all, even awakened people, assuming they are not living in monasteries or ashrams, must pay their rent.
These days the call for more has widened for many of us. The economic downturn has shed light on the need for community. In the midst of financial upheaval and joblessness, we must now circle the wagons and turn towards each other in a way that may be new to us yet as old as civilization itself. What you need, I may have. What I need, a friend of yours may be willing to share. Such was the case last week when my neighbor Fabiana needed a new mattress. I could have sold it to her, but chose instead to give it to her for free. That weekend, Fabiana and her husband, a five star chef, had a party and invited me to attend. There I met Dennis, a neighbor of theirs, who has a software company, Poker Training Network and is expert in e marketing. Dennis offered the use of his studio free so I may make a promotional video for my book. His generosity saved me thousands of dollars. He also spent time educating me on the components of a successful e-marketing campaign and first steps I can take. When I offered my mattress, I had no thought of receiving anything back. The giving itself was the gift. Yet, I am deeply moved at how the universe provided me with exactly what I needed.
Theses tumultuous times offer us an opportunity to rekindle our relationship with the deeply kind person that dwells within us. To our amazement, after a lifetime of competition, many of us are finding that there is enough to go around for all of us. In fact, from a larger perspective, none of us is successful until all of us are .A seed has been planted and now we will watch how it grows. Who knows, as George Walker Bush once called for, maybe in the midst of uncertainty and turmoil we will find a kinder more decent America.
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