While I was trying to figure out why I hadn’t written a blog post for a while, and whether in fact I should bother writing one ever again, I came across this recording of a talk by Seth Godin, highly acclaimed writer and blogger:

Seth Godin

The April Linchpin Session (click to listen)

I very much enjoyed listening to his talk, and it was exactly what I needed. It is energetic, funny, exciting and it confirms quite a few core beliefs of my own, such as the inadequacies of our educational system. But then as the excitement faded, I realised I was left with some questions:

1 – Seth says you should do what you love doing, but then he goes on to say that it will be “very hard work”. Shouldn’t it feel like fun? Shouldn’t it feel like child’s play?

2 – “Either we break the rules or we follow the rules”. The essence of his message seems to be that we should all be leaders. I remember reading somewhere that most of us are naturally followers. Isn’t it a good thing that not everyone is a leader? “Too many cooks spoil the broth” comes to mind.

In fact, aren’t there already far too many ‘leaders’ in our society? We are told to be original, to write blogs, to produce art, to change the world, and the result is an internet full of stuff that is hardly worth the cyber space it occupies (and it is up to you to decide whether that applies to my blog and music). And is it actually producing any kind of pride in those who produce it? Do they love what they are doing, to the point where they ‘can’t help it’ or are they just following Seth’s orders?

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

It suddenly struck me that one person who totally fits Seth’s description of the ideal, fearless leader is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Obviously a very natural leader, Maharishi opened the minds and souls of everyone he came in contact with, me being one of them. The amount of ‘rule-breaking’ material he produced (or ‘shipped’ as Seth would call it) is simply unequalled. But what is utterly amazing is that he did all this from his state of ‘Being’, from ‘Bliss’. No sense of struggle or “very hard work”, even though he worked tirelessly for over 50 years, usually more than 20 hours per day. He always seemed totally at ease, and with a wonderful, childlike sense of humour. Furthermore, he did everything in the name of his master, in devoted service to him, just doing his “allotted duty”. This humble, joyful service is characterstic of many evolved souls, including of course Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama.

So… my feeling about Seth Godin’s linchpin sessions? Very inspiring if you are a natural leader, or a passionate artist.

If you are naturally a follower, be very careful! Seth might just make you one of the millions who are breaking the rules just because he tells you to. And the irony is that you would still be a follower! Instead, isn’t it better to be content with who and what you are and devote your life to service? Ancient cultures regard service as the highest mode of action, and this applies to both followers and leaders. They also believe that service leads to freedom, which is really ironic when you think about it.

But then, when you devote yourself completely to being of service, will that in itself not make you a leader, just by the example of living your life in excellence, like Maharishi, and Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama?

Maybe Seth is right after all… He certainly got me thinking.

One more thing. Please bear with me because I believe it is crucial.

Transcendental Meditation in schools

Rather than just talking about the changes that are necessary for our world to survive, Maharishi is unique in that he actually gave us a technique that brings this change about, on an individual level. Transcendental Meditation is a very simple mental technique that provides deep rest and takes the mind to that state of ‘Being’, or ‘Bliss’ from which he himself drew. This experience of Bliss is by far the most effective way to remove the fear that Seth talks about, the fear that keeps us from fulfilling our full potential, the fear that blocks the genius inside us.

The notion that a simple mental technique would be able to bring about big changes on a collective level is something people were vilified for not too long ago. However, Transcendental Meditation has now been implemented in many schools, companies, and even military forces, and the success has been totally amazing. Research has shown that the technique brings about just those kinds of changes that Seth talks about. A prime example is the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, where Transcendental Meditation is part of the curriculum. The University has already produced an astounding amount of leaders, not only in the fields of art and the environment, but also in the field of business management.

My own take on this is that the daily experience of Bliss that Transcendental Meditation brings actually turns the experience of ‘really hard work’ into ‘child’s play’, thereby changing the attitude of the individual, and thereby the collective attitude of the group, turning it from ‘can’t see the point’ to ‘let’s do it!’.