The "normal" human state of mind operates on two beliefs: 1) I want what I want and I want it now, and 2) I want to avoid what I don't want. We operate blindly on these two beliefs, holding them as fundamental "rights" of being human. These two beliefs are destructive for us individually and collectively. 

Karma yoga is about 1) having an attitude of giving, not getting, and 2) being grateful for the results of our actions, regardless of whether they are what we want. Karma is distributed based on the needs of the whole, not the needs of the indvividuals. In fact, there are no "individuals" that are separate from each other. We are all one.

When we don't react to emotions and thoughts, when we disconnect from the illusory nature of the apparently separate self, and we connect with the awareness that we are, we are acting against the accepted paradimg of what it means to be human. 

If there is such a high probability for intelligent life to exist in other parts of the galaxy, why then do we not see evidence for the existence of intelligent life? Is it possible that other civilizations reached a "great filtering" event that led to their destruction? How is Vedanta the key to us avoiding the same fate on Earth?

Life is a school where we are taught to remember what the soul already knows. 

We tend to think we are the character or role that we play in this 3D existence, when in reality we are the "actor" playing these different roles. We convince ourselves that we are our story, our suffering, our joy, our experiences. Meanwhile, awareness is just there witnessing it all without judgment, desire or fear. 

As a coach, I often get into conversations about purpose and mission. My own journey has brought me to the conclusion that the purpose I am here to carry out is to remember who I and to share this journey of remembering with others. 

The mind wants our expectations and our reality to match, and when they don't, the mind suffers. What happens when we let go of expectations and find the gifts in the experiences, no matter how "good" or "bad" the mind tells us these experiences are?

We do not see the world as it is; we see the world as we are. The universe sends us little messages, opportunities to learn and grow. Our tendency is to grab onto the experiences we find pleasant and resist the ones we find unpleasant. Leaning into the situation, paying attention to the lessons, is the practice I am focusing on today.

All my life, I've been searching for something; something never comes, never leads to nothing; nothing satisfies but I'm getting close, closer to the prize at the end of the rope. This lyric from the Foo Fighters song "All My Life" is a perfect summary of what it means to be a human being who orients from the mind and body.