The Truth cannot be put into words. It can only be experienced directly in quiet observation. "You cannot see Reality with your mind." -- Zen The mind is filter that you (the observer) experiences life through -- it is a collection of perceptions, beliefs, concepts, narratives, and words conditioned by one's personal and ancestral past. We get attached to the mind and can only see life through its limited perspective -- duality, ego, craving, aversion, and fear of death. According to the 8-limbed Path of Yoga to see the Truth one must purify the mind with meditation. Through the practice of meditation (awareness and non-attachment) the mind becomes purified of all conditioned perceptions, beliefs, etc. and all that remains is the experience of the Truth. Do you meditate?

I’m really grateful for this group. Being less plugged into TV and social media has brought a lot more peace into my life, and hearing about it today reminded me how much unnecessary anger those spaces can feed. I feel more grounded being out of that loop. My hope is that more people find that same inner calm. I see that some of us feel more called to act and absorb the pain and suffering of the world more than others. For me right now, I’m focused on healing myself and practicing “what does not breathe life into my life, gets cut out of my life” Therefore I am separated from all the headlines, we have agency. I’m not saying this is the only way, but it is what makes sense for me right now. We all have a different experience. I don’t need a mirror to agree with me, I don’t even need to exist in another’s mind. Others in the group feel they are meant to process news and information differently than me. They feel called to feel pain where there is pain. Maybe there is a bigger question of trust versus control. It’s like David and Goliath. The real battle was internal. Fear vs Faith. “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but by love alone.” - Gautama Buddha Raja Yoga says something similar. non-reaction (vairāgya), not feeding emotional loops. Jesus says Turn the other cheek From Bhagavad Gita “I act without attachment and remain undisturbed.” You must act but let go of the claim that you are the doer or the owner of the results. Key takeaways may have been: Hate does not conquer hate, only love can conquer hate.