A Day of Dialogue

This week has been a busy one for me both work-wise, personally, and in my volunteer activities. As a Buddhist, I participate in a lot of discussion meetings with people interested about Buddhism as a philosophy for living. Often we simply share experiences, or I try to answer any questions people have about it, and go from there.

People who know me know I'm always busy, and having these dialogues with people about philosophy and Buddhism is a large part of how I spend my "free time." For most people it seems like work, because I'm going places to see people, and be a mentor or teacher for them, but I find it to be a very rewarding activity to do. The way I look at it, it's not just telling them about philosophy, but participating in a discussion that could potentially help them develop a stronger, more positive point of view in their life.

For a lot of people, this sounds like a lot of work and effort--and it is--but there is an intrinsic benefit that's gained when you do something that can really help a person improve their life by simply listening to them and sharing any insight you can provide--not in a proud, "I know something you don't" sort of way, but in a genuinely helpful and sincere way.

Whether or not other people see it as worthwhile, it's something I think is most important--for a number of reasons--and adds immeasurable value to my life.