On that note...

Imagine going from this....

....to this.

Zen Buddhism emphasizes meditation.... Something I wish came more naturally to me. However, while I guess it is something that should come more easily to me than it currently does, I think the majority of our society (or the world?) shares my problem.

Do you meditate?

The first time the idea of meditation was presented in my life was during middle or high school for me. I rented a book from a library on meditation for teens or something to that effect.

They gave the example of imagining yourself as under water, with each thought you have being represented as a bubble of your breath floating up towards the surface of the water. Every time you experience a thought, you are supposed to let it rise to the surface, your only interaction with it being that you are watching it float away. Do not respond to the thought with another thought - although that reaction is practically inevitable until you get the hang of it.