How Materialism Distracts Us

Sitting at various airports enroute to Punjab I was bored to tears.  Earlier it was easy to strike up a conversation with a stranger as long as they looked friendly.  I think its easier for women to strike up a conversation with  fellow lady passengers.  And people in India are generally polite enough not to give you a brush off. 

But all that is a thing of the past –  thanks to masks being  compulsory. You cant make out from the eyes if the stranger will be open to some general conversation.  Forget strangers these days its difficult to recognize people in our building because of masks. 

Just to keep my idle mind occupied- “an idle mind is a devil’s workshop 😊😊” i started observing people who were sitting there, around us, in great detail.  And I am one person who wont notice an elephant pass by.  Suddenly a 6- 8 month toddler in his mom’s arms caught my eye. He had only one  aim in mind – how to get his fingers in his mouth. And his mother would playfully divert his mind and pull the hand down.  After a few seconds he would realize his aim – fist in the mouth 😊😊 and try to do it again,  and again his mother would distract him with something and pull his hand away.  This went on for quite sometime.  And I suddenly realized that is exactly what was happening in my life.  Every time I tried to do meditation- make a routine- Materialism got me so distracted that I would  forget my original aim and get so engrossed in other things.  This was such an AHA !!! Moment for me.  The very realization made me feel so focused.  I needed to stick to meditation- being a better person- rather than getting distracted. 

Well easier said than done. But now that have realized it. I just remind myself- lovingly I have to get back to meditation as lovingly Maya pulls me to other things.