Muscat – In a world often divided by differences and conflicts, it is the transformative power of love and meditation that stands as a beacon of hope. Renowned motivational speaker Sister Maureen Goodman, programme director of Brahmakumaris UK, visited Oman, to deliver an inspiring lecture on the occasion of the UN International Day of Non-violence wherein she identified meditation as the key to self-refinement.

Maureen’s message resonates with the belief that love has the potential to change the world, transcending boundaries and fostering unity among humanity. As she shared her wisdom and insights on various aspects of life including family and work, Oman relished her enlightening discourse in shaping a more peaceful and harmonious world. Excerpts from an interview with Muscat Daily:

Tell us about the ‘Light for Human Goodness for Global Peace’ on the occasion of Non-violence Day?

With my experience and travelling around the world, I have seen that it is wars that leads to absence of peace. It has a much in-depth significance, as well as psychological impact. We have dealt with prisoners and juvenile criminals and have found that the basic thing that is being lacking among them is just one thing – self respect. Every soul is in need of self respect and when they are deprived of this, they grow resentful and eventually become violent.

Everyone seeks appreciation/acknowledgement of their efforts but often it doesn’t come by, causing disappointment and disillusionment – comment?

It is true that for our internal happiness we need external validation, but at the same time, we should not be totally dependent on it. There are times when we base our identity with only external validation which can become dangerous. And here comes the important part, which is meditation. Meditation helps us to be in touch with our inner thoughts and streamline our self to a more calmer self. That is the stage when we do not need any external validation.

People have to be competitive and earn money to fend for their families. Do young people need to meditate?

Chasing ambitions is not bad but it is not good to be greedy as it causes trouble and pain to others. Meditation helps us to direct our scattered mind more productively to work, business, and ambition, and take better decisions with clarity, not anger. It helps to look inside the various events and incidents and our thoughts more critically. It can be the foundation for better work and a career.

How exactly does meditation work?

There was a research sometime back wherein people avoided angry colleagues for at least six months, and it positively impacted their output. Also, one can control anger with meditation. We had a programme in Brazil called ‘1 minute reminder’ wherein people meditated for 1 minute every one hour during work hours. In whatever work they were doing, they set aside 1 minute every hour for meditation, and the results were phenomenal. There was clarity, focus, and more productivity on the work-floor.

Oman is full of single professionals who have to compromise on family life to earn a living. What is your advice to them?

It depends on the choice that one makes, but without fear. One needs to decide the important thing that is of value to the present time. The decisions need to be taken consciously; often there are multiple decisions that are taken hastily and randomly. And these are taken out of fear. This is where meditation is helpful – to take decisions wisely. Hence, I advice everyone to turn to mediation for a good balance in life.

With the fast pace of work life and domestic obligations, how does one find time for self-reflection?

Make the most use of every circumstance, even in traffic jams. Somethings are not in our hands and we have to let go. But we must attempt to take advantage of the situation. The world has to be more reflective rather than reactive. Every situation needs to be analysed with calmness. It is not what happens outside that matters, what matters is how to control the internal mechanism through the external circumstances.

Self reflection involves taking an opportunity in every adverse situation to convert it ino something positive. And it is equally important to stay calm in every situation because there are many things that are beyond our control.