The world in general has been difficult this past couple of years (have you noticed?!). Between weather extremes, covid, politics, fires, the economy, and on and on, it’s a wonder that everything is doing as well as it is. I have also had a lot of difficult things happening to people I know recently, some of whom I am close to. So with all of this swirling around us, what can we do as individuals to stay sane (or mostly sane, at least…)?
It’s funny how the laws of physics have their corresponding spiritual laws. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” states Newton’s third law of thermodynamics. Sounds a lot like karma! This got me thinking…
One physics principle that occurred to me is that when a platter is spinning, the areas farther from the center are moving much faster than those closer to the center. The farther from the center of rotation something is, the more force is exerted on it, and the more likely it is to fly out of control. Hmmm…
I know for myself when I feel I am on my own periphery—perhaps stretching beyond what is right, or reaching for something that is way outside of myself—I feel wobbly, stretched thin, or even unstable in my own heart. Yogananda talked about “Center everywhere, circumference nowhere.” No matter what is happening around us, we can stay anchored in that calm center. We can come to a point where our mere presence is a service to others.
No matter how turbulent the ocean surface is during a storm, no matter how high the waves, the depths are calm. Every hurricane has a calm, unmoving center. May we find that depth and center in our own selves, for that is the only place to find it in this swirling world. If we depend on the world around us to calm down for us to find peace, we will always be hoping and wishing, and wholly dependent on the vicissitudes of life. May we move towards, as Yogananda urged us, being able to be "calm and peaceful amidst the crash of breaking worlds.” May we truly strive to feel the ocean depths in our own hearts and carry that calm to all whom we meet.