Meditation misunderstandings?

There have been a number of posts lately about meditation. I'm no expert on the subject, but it sounds to me like people have become upset over the topic and supposed benefits. From my understanding of meditation, it seems like there is a fundamental misunderstanding.

My understanding is that the main purpose is to gain awareness. Awareness of everything going on inside you - thoughts, emotions, physical feelings within your body - in addition to awareness of all your surroundings. "Just sitting" will bring you some place, and I'm sure there are benefits there, but my understanding is that it's much more effective if it isn't as passive as that. Personally I haven't gotten far from "just sitting". Focus on awareness, awareness, awareness. You may need to focus on breath, movements, sounds, thoughts, and emotions to realize your state of awareness and to maintain it, and that's OK I think. At first it's necessary I would think. From practicing this once in a while I've gained a lot in the past few months - clarity of thought, better focus, more self-control, better mood...