How To Turn Your Subway Ride Into A Spiritual Practice [1]

If you live in a big city, unless you drive, you’re probably exposed to the familiarities of riding the subway as often as I am; the screeching rails; the turbulent rumble; the colourful characters; the tired, heavy air as people commute to and fro from within the city; the weary eyes; the inescapable solitude (despite being on public transit!) as people keep to themselves; the sleepy faces; the shifty, awkward glances as people try to avoid eye contact; it’s a very necessary burden for many people.

Sometimes I ride the subway and wish things could be different; how can I restore Life back into the eyes of these lifeless people?! But then I remember the most transformative epiphany I’ve had to date that completely shifted the trajectory of my life and what I deem to be my “purpose”: you can’t change the world, you can only be the change you want to see in the world.

I’ve realized that I can’t change the world. I can’t fill these people with Life even if I gave them my own. I can’t give these people vitality; it is they who must conjure it up from within themselves.