As a growing child I have been fortunate enough to study in a school where group retreats were a must. I have to endure the same year after year on my growing years. All of us are required to sit in one room and listen to what our facilitator have to say. And most of the time they are saying the same things over and over again, like every year me and my classmates would silently half listen and half say what they were about say, like lip synching into a song.
Over the years I have found it a pain to listen to the same things over and over again and samples of what they will say are below:
1. You are very lucky that you have both parents with you, but you are showing ungratefulness for not studying enough
2. You are very blessed to have a family like what you have now, you should tell them you love them everyday
3. You should be thankful that you are alive and you should help the needy more
Imagine the facilitators saying this over and over again and other reflecting comments with a musical background that is so melancholy that a rock can cry tears. Imagine listening to this and that song with over 30 of me and my classmates and at one point someone will cry. And everyone has to cry somehow. If you don’t cry you will be branded as a stone-hearted clown who doesn’t feel anything. So most of us will try to cry. So we can belong.
As I grow older I realized the importance of this self retreat and I would no longer lip synch on what the facilitator would say but I would reflect on what has happened to my life and if I have done the right choices, or had I helped more people? Or have I wronged someone I know? And in this reflecting times I would realize what would have I done better and what could I do to make my life better.
Now I realized why the facilitators are saying these same things over and over again, it was important that you question yourself these things and reflect if you’ve done enough to make good and be good?
I would do my self retreat every now and then and even without the music I can hear the words clearly inside my head if I have done well? Have wronged someone? What should I do after that?
If you want to try to search for your inner peace try doing below:
1. Find a quiet place
2. Sit on a chair and with your palms side up
3. Close your eyes
4. Concentrate on breathing in and breathing out
5. Do this until the only thing you hear is your breathe
6. Think of what has happened to you in the past few days and try to reflect as back as possible
7. Find the time to reflect on your life
8. Do this often and you will find yourself
