We all know the iconic picture.

I can’t remember how old I was… when  I saw this “scene” for the first time, but it was during a Saturday morning cartoon.

Yes.  The wise guru sitting at the very tippiest top of the mountain.

Porky Pig, or Bugs Bunny… or somebody animated…. climbed all the way to the top of the highest mountain peak… and struggled and scuffled to make the arduous ascent.  When he finally reached the top, he found the guru sitting there.  A little dude with his legs all crossed up in a pretzel knot.   He was wearing a simple white robe, and a long white beard.   And Porky, (or Bugs), gasping to get a breath, asked him the “HUGE” question he needed the answer to.  The guru gave him some ambiguous reply…. like… “A little mouse told me so.”, and it seemed as though the journey had been a big waste of time.

I had no idea then what this was in reference to.  In fact, it took me a long time to figure it out.  The Secret Meaning of Life.  The Secret Key to Finding Happiness.

And what I have finally come to is this.  There is no secret meaning of life, and certainly no secret key to finding happiness.  There is no secret at all.

I have always figured on…..  the magic bullet, the golden ticket, the secret recipe.  The guru at the top of the mountain with the great big answer to it all.  But there isn’t any.

The realization I have come to, is this.   I am on a personal journey.  I am on that climb up the mountain.  Sometimes I have to scramble and grapple to get to the next place… but what a beautiful place it is.  I just have to stop, sit my butt down on the ledge… and look out over the wide expanse… the green valley filled with trees and teaming with life.  The the birds circling in the air.  The clouds.  The sun.  And then when I am ready to start climbing again… I climb.

If I get to a point and meet a wise little fella at the apex of the climb… I hope we have a good visit.  But then I continue on my journey.  Maybe down a slope for a little while… and then back up again.

There are few things I have learned along the way.
• Keep an open mind and try not to be judgmental.
• Learn from my failures… as well as my triumphs.
• Stop and take the time to ask WHY.   A guy named Naguib Mahfouz said…. “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”  That is as true as it gets.
• Learn to listen to others… and listen well.
• Listen to myself.   Be in touch with my instincts.  (** See earlier reference to “A little mouse told me so. **)
• Be okay with silence.   This may be the biggest one of all.

A recent study in Science Magazine revealed that “67 percent of men and 25 percent of women would rather give themselves electric shocks than sit still in silence and be present with their own thoughts.”

But wouldn’t you know it?  Our current  culture is one of constant communication and stimulation.  Silence makes most people feel unnatural and uncomfortable.

But that is when we really have the chance to cultivate personal wisdom. Whether you call it meditation or not… it is when I sit alone with my wandering thoughts  that I find new direction.  I learn from listening.

To myself.  To others.  The Guru… and the little mouse.