Inquiry with Zeenat Patel, August 16, 2026

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The Sunday dialogue began with the question: “Is there something that matters more than survival?” The group explored the relationship between physical and psychological survival, and whether the need for psychological security has become intertwined with our basic instinct to survive. While food, shelter and clothing are necessary, the desire for belonging, approval, status and security can extend far beyond physical needs. Can we seek physical security without also seeking psychological security?

The discussion considered how fear of rejection, the need to belong, self-image and concern about others’ opinions may once have supported survival, yet can also become psychological traps. If there is always something to protect or fear, is psychological security ultimately an illusion? Could freedom begin when we see clearly how the “me” is constructed through images, memories and thought?

The inquiry then turned to surrender. What does it mean to surrender, and what are we surrendering to? Surrender was not seen as passivity or giving up responsibility, but perhaps as letting go of the urge to control while remaining fully responsive. One participant described the difficulty of working within an organization where those in power were causing harm, raising the question of how to act responsibly without becoming consumed by resistance. The image arose of being more like a “colander than a dam”—doing what one can while accepting what lies beyond one’s control.

The dialogue also explored the structures of organizations and society, and how fear, competition and conformity can keep us psychologically bound to them. Leaving one system may not solve the problem if the same patterns are simply reproduced elsewhere. Perhaps the deeper question is whether we can understand the fear and conditioning that keep us bound.

This led to reflections on love and connection. Is genuine connection possible while the mind is occupied with strengthening the “me”? The group considered moments when the story of oneself temporarily falls away, leaving a sense of peace and presence.

The dialogue ended by asking whether something beyond thought and conditioning becomes visible when the constant movement of the self comes to an end. The meeting concluded with five minutes of silence.

  • Anastasia Shtamina