New Beginnings
It seems each day of the weeks holds a special promise. Sunday I wrote about the importance of the sabbath. Each day is, for me, a day of new beginnings – opportunities to see the world in new ways. My goal is often to ignore all my previous pre-conceived ideas and beliefs about myself and the worlds. Obviously, I never manage to even remotely attain that goal. Early this morning I noticed myself reacting to the morning news on the internet and later when reading the Pittsburgh newspaper covering local, national and international news. I heard myself - hopefully I did not appear to be a senile old man talking to himself – assigning values to actions of various newsmakers repeating the opinions I had previously gathered. Nothing new was being allowed to enter my brain. Just the same old, same old!
One of the spiritual teachers I admire and whose advise I attempt to follow , Pema Chodron, suggests that one “drop the dualities”; let go of the adjectives one uses to assign a positive or negative value to people, events, policies or opinions. She is not suggesting that any of us will come close to just making a decision without assigning a value to people, events, policies or opinions. She does suggest that one non-judgmentally “notice” when one does so. The mere fact of noticing when one assigns a value interrupts the process and allows for the possibility of allowing one to be open to hearing or seeing new possibilities.
I have been practicing doing this for a number of years and feel as if I am still in kindergarten class. I do know I have some core values which I cannot now imagine any new information changing. Yet, I am well aware that there are very good people who believe the opposite of what I do and can present cogent arguments for them.
I am also aware that I have the options of listening beneath the words (to myself and others). I know that often past traumas and other experiences, affect how one thinks and moves about in the world. For example, those who are abused, especially as children, become abusers. Those with poor self esteem (for whatever reason) frequently become bullies. Those who are raised in a tiny world and are taught their worth is because they are better than/wiser than/smarter than/worth more are more likely to disconnect from their own humanness and from the humanness of others. I have the option of listening carefully or even accessing what it feels like to be in pain and possibly fearful of intimacy. Of course, at the same time I do not want to fall into the trap of patronizing others by discounting what they say by assuming that what they are saying is due to pain or fear.
Although my life experiences are broader than some others they are still very limited. I cannot know what I might think or feel if I walked in the shoes of others. I cannot know what I might do if I walked in the shoes of others.
Still, I must make frequently decisions about my own actions. I must access my core values as well as the wisdom and honestly of my trusted friends and mentors while staying open to new vision or hearing.
Written July 16, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
It seems each day of the weeks holds a special promise. Sunday I wrote about the importance of the sabbath. Each day is, for me, a day of new beginnings – opportunities to see the world in new ways. My goal is often to ignore all my previous pre-conceived ideas and beliefs about myself and the worlds. Obviously, I never manage to even remotely attain that goal. Early this morning I noticed myself reacting to the morning news on the internet and later when reading the Pittsburgh newspaper covering local, national and international news. I heard myself - hopefully I did not appear to be a senile old man talking to himself – assigning values to actions of various newsmakers repeating the opinions I had previously gathered. Nothing new was being allowed to enter my brain. Just the same old, same old!
One of the spiritual teachers I admire and whose advise I attempt to follow , Pema Chodron, suggests that one “drop the dualities”; let go of the adjectives one uses to assign a positive or negative value to people, events, policies or opinions. She is not suggesting that any of us will come close to just making a decision without assigning a value to people, events, policies or opinions. She does suggest that one non-judgmentally “notice” when one does so. The mere fact of noticing when one assigns a value interrupts the process and allows for the possibility of allowing one to be open to hearing or seeing new possibilities.
I have been practicing doing this for a number of years and feel as if I am still in kindergarten class. I do know I have some core values which I cannot now imagine any new information changing. Yet, I am well aware that there are very good people who believe the opposite of what I do and can present cogent arguments for them.
I am also aware that I have the options of listening beneath the words (to myself and others). I know that often past traumas and other experiences, affect how one thinks and moves about in the world. For example, those who are abused, especially as children, become abusers. Those with poor self esteem (for whatever reason) frequently become bullies. Those who are raised in a tiny world and are taught their worth is because they are better than/wiser than/smarter than/worth more are more likely to disconnect from their own humanness and from the humanness of others. I have the option of listening carefully or even accessing what it feels like to be in pain and possibly fearful of intimacy. Of course, at the same time I do not want to fall into the trap of patronizing others by discounting what they say by assuming that what they are saying is due to pain or fear.
Although my life experiences are broader than some others they are still very limited. I cannot know what I might think or feel if I walked in the shoes of others. I cannot know what I might do if I walked in the shoes of others.
Still, I must make frequently decisions about my own actions. I must access my core values as well as the wisdom and honestly of my trusted friends and mentors while staying open to new vision or hearing.
Written July 16, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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