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Matt Haig - Reasons to stay alive  

…. a lot of the Dhammapada, chief among the Buddhist sacred texts (being a record of the Gautama Buddha's teaching), reads like an early self-help book……

In a world with far more shiny distractions than the world of Himalayan India way over two thousand years ago, our metaphorical mental houses …. are … a bit like computers. Yes, I could in theory get on my computer, open a Word document and just write, but I would probably check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the Guardian website. I might - if I am going through a neurotic patch - do a quick ego search, or check out any new Goodreads or Amazon reviews of my books or go on Google and type in a list of real or imaginary ailments to see which terminal disease I am currently suffering from.  The lack of Wi-Fi in the Himalayan foothills would be a blessing if you wanted to meditate for forty-nine days under a tree.

One thing I do understand, though, is that more is not better. I am not a Buddhist. I find all strict and certain guidelines too scary. Life is beautiful in its ambiguity. But I like the idea of being alert to ourselves, of connecting to the universal rather than living life on a see-saw of hope and fear.