The power of meditation.

Published in the Macon Telegraph in 1985.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people in the Southeast become deeply concerned when I mention the word meditation. I once had a well-meaning Baptist minister pray for me when he learned that I meditated—he was so concerned. What these people do not understand is that meditation is a form prayer.

Meditation in its most general sense is to put full concentration on something, be it to study, think, sing or pray.

Meditation for the religious person would be to focus on God in prayer, word or image.

There is a form of meditation where the goal is to "empty"' ourselves of thought. I think it is this kind of meditation that is of concern to some people. This more formal meditation is accomplished by closing our eyes and watching our thoughts and feelings as they arise, without paying attention to them. With time, "good meditators," become less identified with their thoughts and feelings and able to experience the present with a freshness and innocence of a child. When we eliminate the running commentary of our thoughts, we are less likely to categorize, judge and condemn.

Most of us have meditated without realizing it. It might have been while looking at the ocean, sitting by a creek, exercising or walking. The qualities that make it a meditation are to be fully focused on the present, and to put total concentration on the activity. Also, we are usually in a relaxed state, and there is a feeling of timelessness.



Meditation intrigues me, as I feel more relaxed afterwards, even in a usually tense situation. It feels like taking a holiday from the senses. When I open my eyes I feel a new appreciation for the world—the sky looks bluer, the trees greener and the people more alive. In short, meditation improves the quality of my life.Meditation is also a powerful spiritual discipline in that it teaches us to become more humble, empty and receptive. To put our thoughts and feelings aside is none other than the statement: "Not my will, but Thy Will, 0 Lord.'"

As a friend put it, "Prayer is talking, and meditation is listening; and to know God we need both."