2012 And Your Children

Q: There is a new movie coming out - "2012"-  about polar shifts, the end of the Mayan Calendar, and the possible end of the world. I don't know what to think, and I especially don't know what to tell my children about it.

MM: What are they asking you?

Q: Is the world ending, Mom?

MM: So then what do you say?

Q: I just say: "No, honey...that's all nonsense."

MM: That's a good answer. It's what NASA is telling people - so you are in good company.

Q: But what if there is truth to it all?

MM: There is never truth "to it all". There is truth to the fact that the world can come to an end - anytime - even if it just means you or your child could get killed in a car accident tomorrow.

The response to the possibility of death needs to always be gratitude for today, rather than fear of tomorrow. Living without fear, but in gratitude and joy, in the face of our undeniable physical mortality, is the highest teaching you can give your child. It means never taking life for granted, without being hopeless, no matter the material, physical circumstances. It is the secret to eternal life. Eternal life is not immortality. As we seek immortality, we move further and further away from eternal life.

Hollywood has gotten to you :-). It is how they make their money. "The End of the World" has always made a lot of money for preachers, churches and many entertainment and survival industries. It is the oldest trick. There is only one real way to prepare for the end of the world - and that is to say "Thank You" for today - every day. Then you will encounter your last day on earth - whenever and for whatever reason it comes - like every day, also in peace, gratitude and celebration.

Q: Then why do people fall for these doomsday predictions?

MM: It makes them feel special and clever. There is nobody more disappointed when the end of the world doesn't come, than the well-prepared. The true "end of the world" is an internal experience - when you are ready - a mystical event that sets you free.

Q: So is this movie irresponsible, then?

MM:  It is exploitive, but that's just business, like countless others. It is up to people to inform themselves properly, be that about astrophysics, or nutrients in food, or spiritual truths. It is also up to people how they respond to the real fact that all life ends in death and that this death is unpredictable, unavoidable, will most likely include suffering, etc. It is each individual's own responsibility. It is easy to exploit people who are afraid -  of anything - being too fat, or ugly, or old, uninteresting, or doomed by planetary alignments. It is what most of our economy runs on.

Q: What if my kids really want to see this movie?

MM: You as the parent can say "No"..., or go with your children and counter the message. Most likely the message of the movie will also be that "if we - who love each other - stick together against all the evil forces in the world and universe, we will survive - against all odds. Even if we die, our love for each other is eternal and cannot be touched by all this destruction" Very much like in the other Sony movie, "Independence Day". It is always the same formula. Love overcomes fear and doom, which actually is a spiritual truth. Hollywood gets us into the movie by using our fear, and our greed for the spectacular, and releases us in higher spirits, of hope and love.

Q: To your earlier point - I don't think I could "face death in peace, gratitude and celebration" - no matter how much I were to meditate. I would be too worried about my children, no matter how much I appreciate today. That might make it worse for me, actually. To die, or have anything happen to them, seems worse, the more I enjoy today.

MM: No doubt this is true for most parents. But - you are very much underestimating meditation. You have not yet touched eternity. The enjoyment you are talking about is the kind we call "having fun" and "having a good time" - staying  in a good mood, etc. The enjoyment I am talking about, the one that "touches eternity", is much deeper and cannot be taken away by death.

Only One Way

Q: This "preparation to meet God or truth" sounds like a "big deal", something only a monk or nun would attempt to do, but not for someone like me in regular daily life.

MM: Since when is growing in humility, trust and love not possible in daily life? More so in many cases than in the monastery. It all depends on you. There is as much competition, ambition, jealousy, greed and fear in the monastery as there is in the household. Spiritual community in any form, be it monastery, ashram, or church on Sunday can be very helpful - like being at the gym with friends versus at home alone on the treadmill - but for many people truth is found easier in solitude than in company. What is good for one is not necessarily good for all, and what is good at one stage in life in not necessarily good at another.

People who suddenly face death often start "preparing". What does that mean? Suddenly there is a more urgent sense of life beyond this life. How do you prepare? And for what? How do you prepare for the unknown? Your life and even your death are always arranged in such a way as to be opportunities for this preparation. There is only one way to be ready. Deepest trust, deepest love, and deepest humility.

Q: If you said this to someone who is suicidal wouldn't they think that taking their life is a humble thing to do considering how "awful" they are, since so many suicidal people are so down on themselves?

MM: Yes - that is the problem with spiritual teachings. We are talking about a kind of suicide. The good kind that sets us free. The freedom the suicidal person seeks is freedom from the mind or body, both of which can be in great pain and distress. This is what spiritual teachings are - teachings to end suffering from body and mind even if there is terrible pain. That is why mental and physical pain can be such catalysts for spiritual growth.