[thekingofrome]

Imagine you are sitting in a movie theater, watching a movie. You are so engrossed by this movie that you are totally focused on it, and forget you are sitting in a movie theater. What meditation and mindfulness do is to remind yourself that the movie is not the totality of your reality, but that there is more to it. To translate this analogy to real life: your thoughts and sense of self are the movie. Some people will die never knowing that they are watching a movie, but others will realize that's what they're doing - and if they don't like the movie they're watching, this better understanding can provide them peace.