Where Has the Zen Gone?

When I was growing up, one of the best memories I had of Sunday was watching the news program CBS Sunday Morning with my parents. One would think that as a grade schooler and teenager, you would not want to watch the same thing that your parents watch. Actually, I watched that show much longer than they did.

What is it about this show that has had me hooked for so many years? And from such an early age? Maybe it was the focus that the show had on arts and subtle humor. Maybe it was the slower pace of the way they covered topics on the show…it fit very well with the classic idea of Sundays. I know it was the last segment of the show.

The last segment was always a long video segment of nature. I don’t know for sure how long it was, but my gut’s memory tells me at least a minute or more. There would be footage of buffalo grazing in Yellowstone, wild flowers and bees in the mountains, the ocean waves at some coastal spot in America. It was very peaceful to watch and listen to the sounds of nature. It was very Zen like to just soak it in (even if it was on TV and only fractionally as good as soaking it in by being there in person).

As I moved to the west coast, I haven’t been able to enjoy the show as much because it is aired so early in the morning (starting at 6am) and I can’t quite seem to get up that early on Sundays. But I do occasionally catch the last few segments from time to time. I caught it this morning as I’m traveling in Wisconsin and I’m upset that one of the best segments of the show has been sacrificed to the corporate broadcast gods. That last segment is now barely 15 seconds long.

Where has the Zen gone?

In our time rushed world, the moments that allow us to slow down and appreciate the world are being taken from us! I’m sure some CBS producer wanted to take those additional 45+ seconds and give them to more advertising time. But they don’t seem to understand. We need this.

Why do you think that Discovery HD Theater’s Sunrise Earth series is so popular. It gives us 30 full minutes of just watching something as simple and beautiful as the sunrise in different parts of the world. If you haven’t watched the program, treat yourself to different type of start to your day. At 7am, spend 30 minutes watching the sunrise…doing it in person is best, but Sunrise Earth is a great surrogate.

Oh how different your day is when you spend a little time getting your Zen on.

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