The Buddhist teachings tell us that wisdom and compassion are like the two wings of a bird that will fly you to enlightenment and that you need both wings in order to fly. What does that mean for us?

First of all we might just reject this as irrelevant to us because we don’t think we want to be enlightened, we’ll settle for happiness. What we don’t realize, however, is that enlightenment is just a fancy name for the highest form of happiness, a state that is not only our birthright but the end point of our evolution. We’re heading there anyway, whether we think we want to or not. Some of us aren’t moving of course, some of us are even going backwards, but our innate desire for happiness will keep pulling us towards it.

What do you do with your mind when you drive? Do you think about what you have to do when you get where you’re going? Do you mull over your problems? Do you sing along with music and lose yourself in the words and a memory of the video clip that goes with it? Are you cursing the idiot in that Porsche up ahead, or getting irritated because the traffic is too slow? If you’re doing any of this, ask yourself if you’re as aware of the road as you could be? Is there a safer, more relaxed way to hold your mind as you drive? Answer – yes.

I’m a casual high school teacher. In some countries it’s called a ‘supply’ teacher, some kids call me a ‘substitute’ teacher. If they say, ‘oh yay, we have a sub,’ I say, ‘Yep, you’ve got Super-sub.’ I prefer the term ‘casual’ because I like to be casual about my work. That doesn’t mean I don’t take care to do my job well, I do take care, it means that I view my work with a light touch.

If you don’t have a sense of humour as a teacher, you go a little crazy. You get grumpy, dour and just plain unhappy. The kids can be tough. Some of them see a change of teacher as a reason to play up. I don’t take any of it personally. That helps me stay calm, and when I’m calm, I can be clear. When I’m clear minded, I’m more likely to make wise choices about how to handle situations. If I stay calm and clear, my day is fine, no matter what the kids throw at me, so I practice meditation throughout the day.