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.

On Sunday, after a year and a half of only giving talks over Zoom, I had my first in-person speaking engagement at a local

Unity Church. Although it was over-stimulating for me to be in a room filled with so many people

and live music after such a long stretch of peaceful solitude, I somehow managed to maintain

composure and keep my cool. Transitioning back into social events is going to be a gradual

exercise for me. I had one event this month, there

are two next month, and then half a dozen that involves some travel the month after that.

While some people have anxiety about businesses opening up again,

distance and travel restrictions being lifted, and face masks no longer being a

requirement in some areas, there are also many people who are excited to get back out there

to socialize and mingle. Let's be gentle and understanding with one another.

Check with someone if they are open to hugging before assuming that they are and honor everyone's

comfort level. Prior to my talk on Sunday, the minister said our life experience is directly

affected by our mythology.

This got me thinking about what a difference perspective can make

when it comes to our ability to love everyone.

On the one hand, a friend recently told me he believes it's in our

human nature to judge others and that my entire premise of non-judgment is

therefore idealistic and unrealistic. Why fight nature is my friend's go-to reasoning

for humans being so selfish. On the other hand the Dalai Lama says that

love is the absence of judgment. So what's in question is no longer whether or not we can love freely, it is suddenly a discussion about us judging compulsively.

It doesn't matter if loving or judging is in our

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