Ecstasy It’s four in the morning, an eerie time where most of the world finds their nightly peace and quiet in the comfort of their own beds. But I found myself on the cold hard ground of a cabin in the middle of the woods in Texas, being woken up by a Legionary of Christ priest who gave me the wonderful news that it was my turn to go to adoration, at four in the morning. Why would anybody think of doing this at such an unconventional time? I was fourteen years old at the time and doing these sorts of things were sort of a forced habit, something that my conservative school persistently encouraged us to do. But nonetheless I accepted, knowing that it was something that would always make me better. A highly decorated monstrance laid on a table …show more content…
These adorations lasted around thirty minutes and for some reason despite all my negative thoughts that told myself I would rather be somewhere else at the time, these thirty minutes always left me with a surprising collection of positive feelings and sensations. But why? At the time, I assumed these positive emotions were a result of having had taken the time to try and talk to God and listen to what he was telling me, but today, almost four years later, I’ve been able to experience the same sort of enlightening experience without having to force myself into direct contact with God but instead forcing myself in direct contact with stillness. Through the practice of meditation, I’ve been able to enter a state of solitude in which all the stressors of the outside world seem to disappear, leaving me in state of deepened serenity and focus. But why was it that I was able to enter this peaceful state during religious experiences as well as the simple act of forcing myself to be in complete stillness. Through various forms of research I’ve been able to explore how individuals are able to enter these states of increased productivity, tranquility, and happiness not only through religious experiences but also through the forced “entrance” into a state of solitude in order to more greatly understand the science behind these satisfying …show more content…
The world’s most prestigious universities are beginning to experience an overflow of students up to classes like Harvard’s Tal Ben Shahar who teaches the “school’s most popular course, PSY 1504, Positive Psychology, which focuses on the psychological aspects of a fulfilling and flourishing life.” These courses are not only being learned in the classrooms of a few selective prestigious universities but they are being offered to the masses. Through growing websites like Coursera, world-class university courses are being offered to the world. UC Berkley’s The Science of Happiness is set to obtain over 100,000 online students. Designed by the world’s leading positive psychologists, “including Paul Ekman, a leader in the study of emotions, and Jon Kabat-Zinn, the psychologist most associated with the concept of mindfulness” , courses like these are teaching the world the most effective and scientifically backed methods to obtain success and fulfillment. (Rodriguez,