Hi Craig
I love philosophy, as it tends to trigger a variety of positive aspects/facets, such as the sage in us who can relate to some of the welcomed revelations philosophy offers, the analyst who likes to analyse the hell out of life at times, the wonderer that wonders about the deeper meaning of life and human nature, that soulful sense of self that loves the language of philosophy etc etc.
Meditation's an interesting topic. Personally, I used to believe meditation was largely about chanting 'Omm' or something along those lines while trying your hardest not to think. Over time I came to realise meditation is so much more than that. We can meditate on just about anything. Most of us used to meditate as kids, without even realising. We may have meditated on clouds, their shapes, how they led us to feel as well as perhaps meditating on the sound of rain on the roof of our home at night and how peaceful it led us to feel. Again, with that rain, we'd meditate of the smell of it coming in the distance at the end of a long hot summer spell. There would be an incredible excitement generated by the smell of rain in the air. I suppose you could say it's a form of aromatherapy, bringing us that joyful sense of relief from the draining heat. To meditate, to give full focus to something, our 100% focus, is to fully ingest what we see, smell, taste, touch and/or hear. To ingest it so intensely, so fully, to the point where we feel it's impact (whether it's through the imagination or through reality) is what it means to feel life and our connection to it.
Some forms of mediation prove to be an undeniable form of torture. Meditating on what 'numb' feels like, on what facing so many depressing factors in life feels like or meditating on not being able to feel the kind of love you wish to feel, such as a soulful sense of self love, are all incredibly taxing forms of meditation, that's for sure.
