WEBVTT - Meditation Encourages Compassion

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<v Speaker 1>Stay Calm as a production of I Heart Radio. Hi.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Bob Roth, and I've been teaching people to meditate

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<v Speaker 1>for fifty years, helping them to stay calm under pressure,

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<v Speaker 1>reboot and re energize their lives, and basically be a happier,

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<v Speaker 1>healthier version of themselves. And now I want to help

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<v Speaker 1>you do the same. Welcome to Stay Calm, your daily

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<v Speaker 1>dose of calmness. Every weekday morning, I'll share a meditation story,

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<v Speaker 1>offer a simple practical tip about how you or a

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<v Speaker 1>loved one can stay a bit calmer in your life,

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<v Speaker 1>and then we'll end each episode together with a moment

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<v Speaker 1>of gratitude. My hope is that I can share what

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<v Speaker 1>I know to anyone who needs it. Ready, sit comfortably,

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<v Speaker 1>take a few deep breaths, and let's begin today's journey.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to tell you about a man named Joseph

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<v Speaker 1>who I met in New York City. Joseph was in

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<v Speaker 1>a facility that was really a one year vocational training

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<v Speaker 1>program for men who had been rescued from the streets,

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<v Speaker 1>and they were trained in a skill so when they

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<v Speaker 1>left they would have a job to return to their

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<v Speaker 1>families and their neighborhoods with. But the center also knew

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<v Speaker 1>that a job alone was not enough. They were going

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<v Speaker 1>to need tools to help them manage the stress and

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<v Speaker 1>the pressures and the temptations when they went back to

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<v Speaker 1>their neighborhoods, went back to their families that would help

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<v Speaker 1>prevent them from returning to their life of often substance

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<v Speaker 1>use disorder. We had been invited to come and teach

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<v Speaker 1>transcendentle meditation to the men in this program, and there

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<v Speaker 1>was one man there in particular that I remember, Joseph,

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<v Speaker 1>who when I heard his story, it had a very

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<v Speaker 1>transformational effect in my life and I think about him often.

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<v Speaker 1>So Joseph had a master's degree in philosophy from Yale,

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<v Speaker 1>and he did what any self respecting philosophy student would do.

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<v Speaker 1>He got a job on Wallt's for you in a

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<v Speaker 1>brokerage firm, and he had a very successful career, and

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<v Speaker 1>he had a wife and two children and a great

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<v Speaker 1>job working in the Twin Towers. So this is where

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<v Speaker 1>the story changes. On September two thousand and one, Joseph

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<v Speaker 1>left the Twin Towers his office to run an errand

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen minutes before a plane hit, all of Joseph's colleagues

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<v Speaker 1>were killed. The trauma from that, the guilt from that,

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<v Speaker 1>the anger from that absolutely devastated Joseph. And while he

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<v Speaker 1>was never a drinker in college, he started to abuse

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<v Speaker 1>alcohol to mask his pain, and he started drinking so

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<v Speaker 1>much that he got violent. And even though the parent

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<v Speaker 1>company for which he worked offered him a lot of support,

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<v Speaker 1>therapy and everything, Joseph didn't take advantage of it. He

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<v Speaker 1>continued down his downward spiral. His wife and children laught,

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<v Speaker 1>he lost his job, he lost his house, and within

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<v Speaker 1>eight months Joseph was homeless and he lived that way

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<v Speaker 1>for ten years and then he entered this shelter slash

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<v Speaker 1>vocational program. For Joseph when he was at Yale, one

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<v Speaker 1>reason why he became a philosophy major is he was

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<v Speaker 1>really interested in the deeper values of life and he

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<v Speaker 1>had a firm conviction that deep within every human being

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<v Speaker 1>there was a field of common good. And he got

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<v Speaker 1>his job and never found a way to have that experience.

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<v Speaker 1>Fast forward and I'm talking to Joseph and he's loving

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<v Speaker 1>his meditation and I asked him why, and he said,

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<v Speaker 1>he feels more relaxed, more focused, But he said there's

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<v Speaker 1>something more that connection that he was looking for his

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<v Speaker 1>whole life. He found in the meditation, in the transcending

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<v Speaker 1>and the transcendental meditation. And he said, isn't it interesting

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<v Speaker 1>that something I spent my whole life seeking that it

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<v Speaker 1>took me ending up in a homeless shelter where I

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<v Speaker 1>would learn a meditation technique that would give me the

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<v Speaker 1>experience of what I had been seeking for twenty five years.

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<v Speaker 1>And I thought to myself, powerful experience for Joseph, but

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<v Speaker 1>a powerful awakening experience for me. Before meeting Joseph, I

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<v Speaker 1>would have just walked by and not given a thought.

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<v Speaker 1>But I realized now that every homeless person has a backstory.

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<v Speaker 1>Every homeless person was once a six month old kid

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<v Speaker 1>crawling across the kitchen floor, and that traumas often brought

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<v Speaker 1>on at an early age, shaped and distorted joseph life

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<v Speaker 1>and others lives, so they end up homeless. All homeless

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<v Speaker 1>in New York City at one time, we're veterans with PTSD.

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<v Speaker 1>I thank Joseph for making me a more compassionate person.

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<v Speaker 1>And I realized that compassion isn't something you can artificially manufacture.

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<v Speaker 1>If I'm stressed, if I'm angry, if I'm agitated, if

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<v Speaker 1>I'm irritated I can't be compassionate, but I'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>live that way. So the first step in compassion, I realized,

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<v Speaker 1>is being compassionate towards oneself. And first and foremost for

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<v Speaker 1>that is meditation. A meditation that gives you access to

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<v Speaker 1>that field of common good, that field of silence, that

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<v Speaker 1>field of peace that lies within everyone. It's not a

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<v Speaker 1>religious thought, it's not a philosophical thought. It exists within everyone.

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<v Speaker 1>And from that basis we can live a compassionate life.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, let's end this time together doing something that

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<v Speaker 1>I think should be a feature of our everyday life,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's appreciation and gratitude. So let's take thirty seconds

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<v Speaker 1>of quiet, thirty seconds to take a break, just take

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<v Speaker 1>a moment. It turns out when we do that it's

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<v Speaker 1>good for our health as well. I'll be right back,

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<v Speaker 1>all right. Thank you for joining. This is Bob Roth.

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<v Speaker 1>Keep calm, Thanks for listening today. I hope you heard

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<v Speaker 1>something that inspires that uplifts you and that you can

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<v Speaker 1>incorporate into your own life. Until next time, remember, meditate,

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<v Speaker 1>be kind, and be true to yourself. Hey, all of

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<v Speaker 1>you out there, I'd love to hear from you. You

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<v Speaker 1>can send me your stories, your questions, or anything else

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<v Speaker 1>on your mind. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>or Instagram at hashtag meditation Bob. You can also send

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<v Speaker 1>me an email at meditation Bob Roth at gmail dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to hearing from you.