Buddhism and the Status Update: Practice What You Preach

A “friend” in modern times has a two-tiered meaning: the first being the traditional “one attached to another by affection,” the second being, “one connected via social media.” Be that as it may, recently a “friend,” of the latter persuasion, wrote me to say how much she enjoyed my “inspirational posts.” Like many people, I am in the occasional habit of sharing a quote or link to an article that I think might lift people up or get them thinking.

What dawned on me, however, is that I was perhaps putting more energy into finding a good quote to post than putting the words into practice. So, for the time being, I’ve curtailed the habit. There is little value in pretending. We have to practice.

With this in mind, I began to look more closely at the posts of others. What I came across was distressing and confounding: One of the least self-aware people I know had posted about self-awareness. One of the loudest people I know had posted about quiet. And one of the most timid people I know had posted about courage.

There is nothing inherently wrong in any of this, of course. If sharing an idea helps a person overcome their personal troubles, post away! But if finding an eloquent turn of phrase by Pema Chodron or Chogyam Trungpa substitutes for actual study and practice, then the effect is about as considered as applying a band-aid to a broken leg.

The quick-fix may be quickening, if that’s possible. The technology available to us, the ability to share at a moment’s notice, is remarkable. But it can undercut the reality that transformation happens at a slower rate. Evolution cannot keep up with this torrid a pace. Just as we now have two types of “friends,” we have developed two types of relationships with our suffering: a traditional, more deeply-rooted one, and a secondary, more superficial one in which we post but don’t practice.

It does not serve us well.

And with that thought, in the full glare of irony and humility, I post, share and tweet these words, knowing they do no good unless they are accompanied by real action.