New Years Eve and the true definition of spiritualism

New Years Eve and the true definition of spiritualism by Lauren Ostrowski Fenton

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” - Buddha

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
Buddha

A picket fence, ideally white, is seen by some of us as a symbol of the ideal middle-class suburban life, together with a happy family, well fed children, glamorous house and peaceful living.

Aaah yes we all aspire to have the ideological trappings of the picket fence, the “in love” relationship, chuck in the mandatory handsome prince on white horse, 2.5 children( woops slipped up there)and the accumulation of toys, and other “cool stuff”

Looking back over my last few years of new years eve articles I find myself breathing a sigh of despair- an ‘ is that as good as it gets?” Jack Nicolson type moment.

This year I have decided to be brutally honest –

In western society we focus equal share on accumulating and depriving ourselves - aaah yes he who dies with the most toys wins-

• Who can be the thinnest?
• Who can appear the youngest?
• Who can own the biggest shiniest Jet Ski....( please can someone explain to me this obsession with planet destroying mechanical toys which go nowhere and achieve nothing?)

Ok so jokes aside our new year’s resolutions are sometimes made up of values of obsessive accumulation and manic deprivation rather than the moral high ground of peace, virtue, and developing a sense of community and friendship...

 We say that we want to work towards a greater sense of wellness and spiritualism but what does that really mean?

What does it mean to develop the spirit?

Let’s take Xmas and new year’s eve as prime examples...We launch ourselves full pelt into the commercialism of Xmas maxing out our credit cards, rushing around like mad things, showering our children with expensive gifts thereby inflicting upon them a possible incidental future of shopaholicism, indoctrinating them into capitalist philosophies, not to mention socialising them into addiction to food and - dare I say it -possibly alcohol.

What is New Years Eve really about???

As we get past the metaphysical high of the Xmas celebration we plummet down into the New Years Eve festivities- big dipper style- ear popping vertigo to the max  we catapult ourselves into the next year...and before we even draw breath we are already repeating the same behavioural patterns.

Like a squirrel gathers nuts some of us accumulate and collect obsessive behaviours

And then we flagellate our self with the terrible wrath of guilt and promise to commit to a diet of bread and water the very next day

Maybe we need to put the metaphorical Jet Ski to one side for a moment and actually take a minute and ask ourselves the big question...

Do these western rituals and patterns bring us peace and contentment?

Look at eastern philosophy... a focus on being in the moment- taking responsibility for the here and now and detaching ourselves from our raw humanity-

Look at the word “resolution” or “to resolve”- it is about fixing the future what is to happen in time rather than what is happening now...perhaps we should rename new year’s resolution - new year’s being – a focus on what is happening here and now

Let’s work on spiritual development-

Let’s focus clearly on the now of our behaviour and sit with how our behaviour effects us now and the people we love instead of projecting forward with goals wearing blind folds.

Take responsibility, take ownership and focus on self acceptance.

Make like Buddha and focus on the now and finding peace from within- be with the moment rather than perpetually committing forward to the future.

Raise our glass to De-cluttering ourselves physically emotionally and spiritually – emphasise goals which improve our present relationships with others and enhance the quality of our life spiritually.

Have a great new years eve.