" What??" asks any rational blog reader, "Depak Chopra? Suna, have you turned into some pop culture guru fan?"No, I have not. But, lately I have been reading stuff he says, and I reluctantly have found my admiration for him as a person growing. He is not some superficial New Age person who over-generalizes ideas to make money (though I am sure he has made a LOT of money). He does have a deeper core of truth and intelligence that comes through in his writing, which probably has a lot to do with his popularity, which endures--he is one pop-culture expert who has NOT been proven a fake or fool.
I came to these conclusions after reading some of the things he has written about the recent US political events on the Huffington Post. Here is one example--you can find more by typing in Chopra in their search engine. Admittedly, it was easy to read this stuff, because I completely agreed with it. What impressed me, though, was how Chopra articulated thoughts that I shared, but that were just mushy, ill-formed ideas running around in my brain. He'd clarified them, written some rational justifications for them, and spelled them out in very compelling ways. And in addition, he came across as a humble fellow human being who was wrestling with the same election issues the rest of us were. For someone with so much fame and media attention, remembering to remain humble and human can't be easy. I guess his spiritual path has helped, though.
So, lately I have been reading his "daily devotion" on his blog. Here's stuff from today:
The Law of Least EffortYeah, it's written in affirmation format, which can drive a lot of us nuts, but the points work for me. Letting go of some of this typical American aggressiveness and drive to be "right" can really help.
The Law of Least Effort: Nature's intelligence functions with effortless ease, with carefreeness, harmony, and love. And when we harness the forces of harmony, joy, and love, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease.
I will put the Law of Least Effort into effect by making a commitment to take the following steps:
I will practice acceptance. Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances, and events as they occur. I will know that this moment is as it should be, because the whole universe is as it should be. I will not struggle against the whole universe by struggling against this moment. My acceptance is total and complete. I accept things as they are this moment, not as I wish they were.
Having accepted things as they are, I will take responsibility for my situation and for all those events I see as problems. I know that taking responsibility means not blaming anyone or anything for my situation (and this includes myself.) I also know that every problem is an opportunity in disguise, and this alertness to opportunities allows me to take this moment and transform it into a greater benefit.
Today my awareness will remain established in Defenselessness. I will relinquish the need to defend my point of view. I will feel no need to defend my point of view. I will feel no need to convince or persuade others to accept my point of view. I will remain open to all points of view and not be rigidly attached to any one of them.
from: http://www.chopra.com/dailydevotion (the link will differ from day to day)
I honestly believe that you don't have to be a progressive follower of an alternative healing practitioner (but he's also an MD!) to get something out of his ideas. Maybe it's because I'm also a pacifist, also someone who wants to believe in the good of humanity, also a practitioner of constant efforts at self improvement...but I like this guy. So what if he's massively popular and Oprah likes him, too. She's not stupid, either.
Next week: someone less famous.
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