A SPEEDING TICKET IN PARADISE

I close my eyes, and begin a meditative exercise in controlled breathing. No big deal. This is all meaningless. As I prepare to continue on my way, I glance down at the information on the infraction notice. My name, address, etc.… The offence: Traveling 86 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone. Place of infraction: Eden, NY. Eden, NY? Speeding through Eden! Now things were really getting interesting…

It is a typical scenario, one that probably plays itself out thousands of times a day. I miss the exit on the highway, and drive along for twenty minutes oblivious to the fact that I am now heading away from my intended destination. A kernel of frustration brews within me as I realize my predicament. I struggle to subdue it with logic and humor, but despite my best efforts to shake it off, it keeps pestering me. After turning around, it seems that the accelerator is much lighter than I remember – probably because I feel the need to alleviate my stress by making up for lost time. Inevitably, two minutes into the return trip, I pass a police cruiser with a radar gun hiding behind a truck at a rest stop. I brake, but it’s too late. Now I’m really annoyed.

As I pull to the side of the road, I remind myself that though my erratic reaction was foolish, getting upset about it will only further exacerbate my already bitter state of mind. None of this is real, I tell myself. I remind myself that everything that materializes in our corporeal reality is really a reflection of a higher reality. Red lights flashing. Sirens. Uniformed officer, armed. Dirty look. License and registration. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

I close my eyes, and begin a meditative exercise in controlled breathing. No big deal. This is all meaningless. I hear a loud tap at the window, and receive the gratuitous speeding lecture. I try my best to keep a straight face. As I prepare to continue on my way, I glance down at the information on the infraction notice. My name, address, etc.… The offence: Traveling 86 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone. Place of infraction: Eden, NY. Eden, NY? Speeding through Eden! Now things were really getting interesting.

So what is the message from all of this? As I begin my Passover preparations, permeated with thoughts about freedom, and how it can be attained in the crazy world we live in, I can’t help but think that the most effective rebellion against the forces of corporate domination and gross materialism we are confronted with is to slow down. Just stop speeding through life because of the illusion that this is what life today demands. Is taking a moment to sit back and gain perspective not the greatest act of subversion against the ill-conceived hyperactivity of 21st century life on earth?

Life is full of opportunities – and, despite Madison Avenue’s insistence to the contrary, the real opportunities have nothing to do with earning another dollar in order to acquire the latest techno-gadget so that we can more efficiently access and schedule the nonsense and distraction that inundates our lives. Life is full of opportunities to slow down and discover something – to acquire real wisdom, to learn about yourself, about others, about life, about truth. Every moment is a potential Eden. But we miss out if we insist on constantly speeding through it.

The mystics relate that the concept of Sabbath as a refuge from the deluge and pressure of material life extends into each day. At any time we can evoke a Sabbatical moment that takes us outside the anxiety, both real and imagine, of the moment. Each day can begin with the sublime sanctuary of meditative prayer. The Sabbath itself serves this function for the week as a whole. Rosh Chodesh is the Sabbath for the month, and Yom Kippur is the Sabbath for the entire year. Each of these gives us the opportunity to slow things to a pace more suitable to discovering truth.

So, perhaps to be free today requires us to slow down, unplugging from the distractions and hyperactivity, and asserting our desire and need for a balanced and meaningful life. After all, the opposite of freedom is not slavery. Slavery is merely the lack freedom. The opposite of freedom is delusion – living in denial of one’s inner self and true purpose.

Reprinted with permission from Exodus Magazine