We don’t like to meditate because we don’t like the company.

To sit still, completely, with ourselves. This is one of the most challenging endeavors we could ever take. To cut off all distractions and just focus on our breath. It sounds easy on paper. But why is it so easy to fall into daily distractions? What are we distracting ourselves from? For most of us, it’s hard to just sit alone with ourselves. We are often forced to confront things we don’t like to recognize, and this is uncomfortable. But being uncomfortable isn’t bad. In fact, the only time we truly grow as individuals is by being pushed out of our comfort zone. We don’t like to meditate because we can’t stand the company. Who is the company? It’s us. Alone. Meditation is a daily practice and the active embracing of uncomfort, mentally and emotionally. We sit and learn to still our minds, and in the process of doing so, we become more aware. We become aware of ourselves, we become aware of the battle within. We become attune to the inward struggles we face, and in the process of doing so, we realize how so many struggles we have in life are actually outward projections of our internal battles. We cannot master the outside world. We can, however, strive to master ourselves. If we cannot learn to be attune with ourselves, to have the awareness required to change the things we dislike, to learn how to love ourselves without judgment, how can we possibly apply these concepts to others? Meditation is the tool we use to sharpen our minds, to make the battle within a little more bearable. It is the tool we use to enhance all our other mental practices and endeavors. It is a tool to discover ourselves by using a microscope. You start to see things you may have missed before by paying closer attention, by looking closer and with more attention to detail. When we start to understand ourselves, those around us benefit by virtue of our self betterment. Strive to sit alone and come to terms with what lies behind the darkness of closed eyes. Alone, together.