We, humans, do every action with a certain motivation, with the desire to reach a certain result.
So far so good, clear and natural.
But many times, that desire to reach the desired result prevents us from noticing if we are still in sync with the initial motivation, or at least whether it thwarts any possibility of enjoying and benefiting from the process.
And what does that mean?
I have been in education out of the true desire to do something that I experience as meaningful.
And what does meaningful mean to me? Forever it is connected with touching the life of another.
And specifically in education, in creating a space that encourages the students’ development in the direction of the people they really wish to become.
Sounds impressive, doesn’t it?
But it’s completely real. A stranger will not understand the magic that takes place in the classroom, when the teacher dares to allow it.
So I come into the classroom with my ideas about what I would like there to happen, and then the students take it somewhere else.
Many times, to a place more amazing and creative than I could even imagine, and other times, well.. nothing seems to be happening there. Or worse, something completely different from what I planned happens, and not in a positive way.
It’s presumptuous to think that everything depends on me.
It is presumptuous to think that if I come with the right intentions, the right planning and have the necessary talent, I can always make magic happen.
So many factors enter into the equation – the composition of the particular class, the mood of the students in a particular class, and even the quality of the internet in that particular class.
All of these require a great deal of flexibility in relation to the desired result, without which there will be great frustration, and perhaps even anger, which does not allow any significant positive process to take place.
And this is where a brilliant idea comes in – releasing a grip on the result.
This is a central idea in spiritual teachings, which enlightens our eyes to the fact that there is a gap in nature between the moment we sow something and the moment it sprouts.
Anyone involved in education of any kind, meaning all of us in one way or another, knows this to be true, that long-term and consistent sowing and plowing work is required in order to reach the goal we are aiming for.
We run long distances.
Therefore, when I understand the course of things in our world, I am busy doing what I see as right, and then I let go.
and what does that mean?
Imagine a situation in which you are not satisfied with the result you get, but you let go of the need to have it come out your own way.
You do what you do because you believe in what you do, and then you free yourself and the object of your action from the need to act in a certain way, from the need to be a certain way.
Try to connect to the feeling of freedom, the freedom that it allows for both you and the people in your world.
And it can sound scary at first, because, well, what am I saying? That we should not aim at high goals?
Of course not. It is most appropriate that we aim at even the highest goals.
But the way to get there is not necessarily to insist at any given moment that things progress at the rate and in the manner we demand that they progress.
Such an approach, in our opinion, only limits and reduces us, the experience, the development and learning – ours and that of others.
I’m talking about a determined and consistent walk along the path I believe in, a walk that accepts with love the way the path unfolds before me – the moments of satisfaction and the bumps in it.
And so, my degree of satisfaction does not depend on the result, but on the way itself.
And don’t worry, I promise you that the desired result will be achieved. For certain.
And so, we again return to one of the central principles in mindfulness, which refers to the need to accept things as they are.
All the energy we waste on fighting reality as it is emerging, is the energy we can direct to constructive activity – for example, an activity aimed at correcting what we don’t like so much in our current reality.
So in practice, what do I do when things don’t happen the way I plan them?
I accept it.
And yes, to accept what is, is also to accept the frustration that arises. Simple as that. Without pressure, without trying to explain the frustration, justify it, plan how to avoid it the next time. Just allow it to come up and leave. It’s OK. It leaves when we do not hold on to it.
The stage where I stop fearing frustration and realize that it is an integral part of the journey, is another step towards freedom from external conditioning – which is where we are aiming at.
And one last point, regarding our partners for this journey. Think of a student, or maybe even your own child, experiencing acceptance of who he is now in the present moment.
Think about the people who grow within a space that allows them to make mistakes, correct them and move forward – all in an environment which is safe from judgment and anger. Heaven.
Which doesn’t mean that I don’t aim at, or actually do set boundaries. The truth is that Boundaries is my middle name..
I am a big believer in boundaries, which do not stem from anger and frustration; those which set the clear boundary now, so that it will ripen in the future as respectful behavior.
And at the end of the day, this is a central goal in education, isn’t it?
Mindful Education 