A question, chewable, rewarding, maybe forever:
What’s the most important thing
you’ve learned in this lifetime
(so far)? Read More
Practices
What might be the most meaningful thing for any of us to know at this time?
My answer is:
Fear is not a thought.
Looking around suggests there are a lot of us who might feel, “I was made for this time.” To be a grounded, loving force in the face of catastrophe. How well we can pull it off is a whole other matter, speaking for myself. All I know, it’s who I’ve always aspired to be. What I’ve been in training for. Read More
While improving society is a noble aspiration much in demand today, its achievement is greatly determined by who each of us brings to the table––i.e., how we manage ourselves.
Conversely, our immaturity in managing ourselves is the reason society needs so much help. Even those of us hot to change the world often show up wearing the cement shoes of judgment, blame, and any of the other accoutrements of unmanaged fear.
Why is this? I, of course, do not know. But I have a guess at what might be a top contributor. Our inability and/or unwillingness to be responsible for our feelings. Read More
A friend who spent decades as a monk recently shared with me a pocket card that he and the other monastics were given at one point in his tenure. The card enumerated 10 reminders the monks and nuns were asked to keep present in their consciousness as they went about their daily activities. The points ranged from always keep your mind upon God to eat food slowly and avoid too much salt. I thought the purpose of the card terrific; valuable to anyone: a list of the key reminders we want front-of-mind no matter what comes our way. (A nation gone wacky, for instance.)
Of course, since monastic life is anchored in a vow of obedience, those monks and nuns were “given” the 10 points they were encouraged to remember––each receiving the same 10. Those of us free of such vows have the privilege of choosing the cues we’d like in our back pocket at all times. Among the reasons I find this process so rewarding is that we can pick things that are particularly gnarly for us. Even better, we can change our list anytime we wish for the rest of our lives. As you know, the universe is not shy about revealing new things worth remembering.
Below is my first crack at ten, plus a few extra, in case they stimulate your own discovery process. Before you get to them, however, I have a request. If you find this exercise useful, I would love to see the list of things you want to remember. We all have so much to learn (and steal) from one another.
My Other Website
"The push to change the words “nigger” and “injun” in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, because the so-called offensive nature of those terms might limit today’s readership and appreciation of that literary classic, is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how we avoid taking responsibility for our feelings––and therefore miss the chance to become more awake, more whole, more useful friends to one another."
The Essay: The Gold in Niggers and Injuns
