Member-only story
Humans 101
Happiness Comes From Learning to Play the Inner Game
Lessons for a life well-lived
I stared out the window as we passed the train station: Commuters, all men, with their overcoats, suits, and briefcases, like a herd of clones, stood on the platform, waiting for the train to New York. I thought, “Not for me. There’s got to be more to life than this. I’ll be blazing my own trail.” It was the 1960s, and my dad was driving teenage me to high school.
That was my first moment of spiritual awakening. I knew what I didn’t want, but I still had no idea what I wanted or how to go about figuring it out.
I went off to college. I studied just enough to get by. I marched against the war, rode motorcycles, grew my hair out, and did my share of drugs and partying.
After graduating, I found myself on a spiritual path: I threw my stuff into my rusted-out Volkswagen van, headed to Boston, and joined a community of like-minded spiritual seekers.
For the first time in my life, I found something that felt like the real me — a source of peace and happiness, an inner home. I became less concerned about how I looked, what others thought of me, and whether I was outwardly successful. I was on an inner journey.
