“The discontented man finds no easy chair.”
– Benjamin Franklin
For some reason, this quote is much better known in German: “Der unzufriedene Mensch findet keinen bequemen Stuhl.”
The source and only source of all peace, love, joy, wisdom, light, satisfaction and fulfilment is our soul. Our soul is more than ready and eager to offer all these qualities to us in infinite measure – as long as we show that we need them and value them. All happiness can be ours – for the asking.
Meditation is the asking. Meditation opens the doors within, establishes the lines of trade and communication between the inner worlds and the outer world, between our inner and outer lives, so that we can access, enjoy, express, reveal and spread the inner wealth of our soul.
When we shine a flashlight in a dark room, we see everything. Without the flashlight, we see only darkness. It is not the room’s fault that we cannot see it: it is ours for turning off the light. No end of complaining about the darkness will enable us to see the room: the culprit is the one holding the flashlight – ourselves.
It is the nature of all spiritual qualities to expand, spread and radiate. When we meditate and find peace, love, joy and satisfaction within, all of these qualities naturally expand, spread and radiate all around us, like fragrance from a flower. If we do not see and feel these qualities around us – if we find “no easy chair” – it is simply because they are not radiating from within us, because we have not sought them – we have not meditated – sincerely and eagerly enough. Discontentment is the absence of contentment, the natural consequence of not meditating.
Meditate for contentment: then find everywhere your “bequemen stuhl”, your easy chair.