So many of us suffer and do so silently.  We have depression, anxiety, health issues and we keep them all to ourselves.

Who are we?  What is our purpose?  Will we be ok?  Will we find love?  Will we be discovered?  Do they like us?

Just imagine for a moment the intensity and accelerated collective consciousness or collective thoughts of civilization are in any moment.

For many of us, life just moves too fast.  We may briefly stop to show our support for a friend in need, and then we are whisked back into the frantic mode that has become our new state.  We take a few days to grieve the death of a loved one and then back to work.

In fact, there is some perverse sense of being successful if you can just roll on past all humanity with business as usual.

Frantic, high speed, do it now, accomplish this, deal with that, then email, Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter, websites, kids, relationships, bills, companies, goals, pets, and so much more compete for our attention.

We do it.  Until we fail.  Then many of us don’t tell anyone we failed.  We all cope differently.  We may take a pill.  We may push harder at the next work out .  We simply isolate until we feel restored.

We do all this so we can jump back into the frantic matrix so many now call a life.

We may keep our failure private, not from embarrassment, but out of a realization that so many are just as deep in it.  Like us, they care, and show their support when we are down just briefly before they jump back in their own jet stream.

This all goes on until we fail so hard the crash wakes us up.  Or it may go on until our health gives up.  Some of us are just so numb, we intake whatever will get us through it all and just keep on getting more stressed, gaining more weight, pushing ourselves even harder or whatever brand of punishment (usually a mixed cocktail) we inflict upon ourselves.

What if we pruned back ambition?  What if we change the measuring stick for success based on the depth and intimacy of our relationship with ourselves and those around us; everyone we come into contact with vs just a select few ?

What if we simply slow down our thinking and tune into mindfulness?  Tune into this task, this moment and this breath.  Would it help?  Would we even know how?

Breathe.  Sit for just a few minutes and be aware.  Go hug someone like you mean it.  Look into their eyes.  Listen like you really care.  Ask someone to lunch without an agenda.  Laugh!  Do something just for you because you can.

“When we learn how to suffer then we suffer much less.” Thich Nhat Hahn