Anne Clendening wishes she could trade places for a day with this man. Here’s why.
A Sadhu monk sits on a rock in meditation.
He looks like he’ll be liberated any minute now, and rocketed into the fourth dimension.
Our man wants for nothing. I’m guessing he’s not late for anything, or blowing off any responsibility. He didn’t forget to set his alarm, his coffee timer or his DVR.
He lives in some kind of minimalistic, “Star Wars” desert environment. He doesn’t have a wide screen TV or Ralph Lauren paint on the walls.
He probably doesn’t have road rage, an overdrawn bank account or herpes. He’s not fidgety or distracted.
He just sits. There’s no Tweeting, no iPhone, and no CNN. No Miley Cyrus’ tongue.
They say what you come looking for, you come looking with. What are you looking for?
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He’s happier than all of us.
I’m guessing he has no idea who Jim Morrison, John Belushi or John Holmes were. (I wonder if John Holmes really knew who John Holmes was. He was pretty screwed up.)
He probably isn’t dying to go tomcatting around any New Orleans bars during Mardi Gras. He didn’t watch the Breaking Bad finale, and he doesn’t have a stack of porn next to his bed.
He’s never gambled his rent away in Vegas, or called anybody a dumb bitch.
He’s beautiful.
He gets up with the sun, he sleeps well at night and he eats when he’s hungry. He isn’t frivolous or wasteful. His life is a continuous stream of God Consciousness.
His karma is lookin’ pretty good.
I wish I could meet him, or at least trade places, if only for a day. They say what you come looking for, you come looking with. What are you looking for? Most likely, the jewel in the lotus dwells in that space within the sound of silence, the last place a city girl like me would look…
I met Eddie Van Halen once, and this guy is just as cool to me (but on a different level).
You know what else is cool?
Sitting, being happy, wanting for nothing.
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This article first appeared at elephant journal.
Photo: Wikipedia Commons, flickr
the happiest person is one who is free enough to move around at will ……..and rich enough to not have to work while doing it. too may posssesions are problematic for those on the move.
I think the author unintentionally makes the point that we shouldn’t project our preconceptions onto others. Whether the man pictured is sitting in quiet contemplation of his sober, celibate existence or recovering from a night of drinking and debauchery is purely speculative. All I can discern with any degree of confidence is that he appears to be at peace. Good for him!
I really wouldn’t have a clue or be presumptious enough to declare what his desires or needs might be just from a picture. Anyway, this yogic search for happiness is an illusion right? Happiness comes and goes and is situational right? The world is enriched by depression, anxiety, melancholy and happiness. Where would all the writers poets and artists be without all these things. The shiny happy advocates aren’t doing much thinking. So happy to see the commentary beneath.
It makes sense that he might be happy. But i believe that achieving happiness but not exposing oneself to the difficulties and dangers of normal society life, is like taking the easy way out. I believe that a normal person living a normal life – educating oneself, dealing with people, going to work, getting a home, car, having relationships, raising a family and then still achieving happiness is something to be proud of. Secluding oneself is quite easy considering the rise of modern gurus also known as NEETs who are perfectly happy in their rooms with figures and hentai filled… Read more »
Depends what you want in life. He doesn’t have the stresses of the modern world, but it’s 99.9999999999% probable that he’ll never contribute to modern science in saving our planet, or curing disease, etc when living a lifestyle that doesn’t include our modern stress-inducing devices.
The stresses of a technologically advanced society may mean less happiness, but it’s got the trade-off of things like space travel, global communication, etc.
Probably doesn’t have a wife or kids, employees or a pet.
Probably doesn’t grow any food, or create wealth for his community.
Probably relies on the sweat of others for his shelter & sustenance.
That’s not the point.
No the point is contributing