When we don't meditate, we find ourselves being more confused and angry. Our attitude toward others is less cooperative and more competitive, and our inclination to attach and cling to harmful things increases as a natural affinity develops for uninspiring things.

Desires are more lustful, and we are more conceited. We become cynical and skeptical as our concerns of being lied to increase, simply because we believe each lie, leaving us with fearful feelings toward those who are so controlling, egotistical, and arrogant, that they no longer respect us.

Our restlessness and sadness increase as our energy levels decrease, and we become less sensitive to unkind acts, but we never know the far-reaching results of those acts, and we aren?t concerned about how they affect us, or how they affect everyone we touch.

The worries over our failures in the world and concerns over such things as our death or the death of family and friends become great burdens, and our sorrow increases appreciably. Physical and mental pain increase, because we no longer comprehend the three common characteristics of existence ? impermanence, discontent and no self.

When we don?t meditate, we lose confidence in our life journey, and we also jeopardize our health, as our immune system that was bolstered by meditation is now forced to fend for itself. Our cravings and desires increase, and whatever healthy lifestyle we began to develop now regresses into simple, shortsighted pleasure-seeking where sense desires rule.

Psychologically, the idea of self, or of our ?I thought? dominates our existence, and separation increases between ourselves and our fellow beings, especially if our fellow beings don?t believe as we believe. Hatred simmers just beneath the surface, and anger dominates our every interaction. We increasingly fear that we aren?t getting our fair share, and we use every means to get more, even at the expense of those less fortunate.

Spiritually, we lose our bearings, and begin relying on others to tell us what spirituality is all about, and what to think and do instead of finding out for ourselves. We no longer feel that special passion that once changed our lives, as we become stuck in the world of form and illusions once more. Our life becomes a struggle now, and any peace or understanding that was beginning to develop now fades and wilts under the pressure of an unrelenting world of distraction.

But the saddest thing of all, the thing that we can no longer relate to, is the following; ?and the fourth degree of evil that comes from joy of worldly things is: And he departed from God, his salvation. This man has made money and things of the world his God, and David said, 'Be thou not afraid when a man shall be made rich, for when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away, neither riches, nor joy, nor glory.? ? St. John of the Cross.

E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-eight years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit http://www.AYearToEnlightenment.com

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