Welcome to the Buddhist boot camp podcast.

Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life.

Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.

When I first founded Buddhist boot camp more than a decade ago, readers drawn to the blissful

serenity exuded by practitioners of Eastern philosophy, wanted to prioritize kindness, gratitude,

and empathy over judgment, conflict, and cynicism. People all over the world were willing

to sacrifice familiar old habits that they realized were detrimental to their inner peace,

and replaced them with new behavior that is more conducive to personal growth, equanimity,

and tranquility.

Recently, however, something has shifted.

The general public seems more committed to being right, confrontational, and argumentative

than they are to being kind, peaceful, or calm.

To add insult to injury, every media outlet fueling the

fire gets more traction than any attempt to put out the flames. Even my last few messages,

encouraging us to be twice as understanding, gentle, and patient with one another, especially

during troubled times, has backfired and sparked harsh criticisms

from so many people withdrawing their support and angrily protesting that this is not the time for peace.

So I don't know what to do.

Twenty years ago, when I was determined to get myself out of debt, I knew exactly what to do. I ate instant

noodles almost exclusively until the credit cards were paid off. It was a classic case of

desperate times call for desperate measures, so I temporarily put aside what I knew was best for my

health in order to address a more immediate cause. With everything that's

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