Summer vacation allows time for reflection.
In our daily routine which is loaded with stimuli that pull our minds in all directions, countless matters demand our attention, evoking in us emotions of all sorts.
And so, too often, we find ourselves reacting instinctively, with the reactions we are used to, and not necessarily consciously choosing a response that will guide us in the direction we want.
We need these breaks not only to renew energies, but to allow ourselves the space to observe, examine, and then decide –
Are we operating in a way that works for us? and at the same time,
Are we who we want to be when we operate this way?
And if the answer is negative, then we should rethink our path.
Towards my 40th birthday, I asked myself what I would like as a birthday present.
And the answer that came from the depths of my heart was, quite surprisingly,
“I want to be really smart. I want to know how things work”
A week later I found myself in the first class in Buddhist studies, and the rest is history.
Why am I sharing this with you?
Because that’s where I learned, and am still learning, the most important lesson of all.
Although not everything is under our control in the present, in fact, we have 100% responsibility for everything that happens in our world.
We will not go into how and why this is so in this post, it is related to the idea that is at the base of everything – the emptiness, an idea that you can read a little about in the articles on this website.
So I invite you to examine with me a little the idea of personal responsibility by looking at your life, and then you can return to your regular worldview.
Basically, what the spiritual worldview says is that we see the world not as it is, but as we are, in Anais In’s words. And this is a truth that is at the root of all proper spiritual traditions.
It means that when I see something outside, it actually exists inside me.
And so if I want to change something I don’t like in my world, the only place I can go to in order to make a change is, indeed, no assumptions, me.
This is the correction of the soul that leads to the correction of the world.
And before we rush to world wars and other catastrophes, let’s start in our homes.
The operative meaning of things is, for example, if I experience my teenage son as inconsiderate, I need to examine the places where I have been inconsiderate of others and focused on what I wanted for myself.
And this does not mean that I should not enlighten his eyes to the fact that he is behaving inconsiderately or that I should avoid setting boundaries; I wouldn’t be doing my job as his mother if I didn’t.
But if this is the end of my dealing with inconsideration in my life, I can start counting down to its next appearance, and most likely in a more extreme way.
Because the reason I experience a lack of consideration in my life is because I have acted this way in the past, and may (most likely) still do.
And if I want to avoid experiencing inconsiderate people in my life, I need to start paying more attention and consider the desires and aspirations of others, especially when (and here’s the challenge) they conflict with mine.
Because as long as I look for the responsibility for something that happens in my world in someone or something external to me, I continue to spin around my own tail; It’s hard to move forward like that.
We have done and are still doing this since the beginning of time – looking outside for the causes of my suffering – and also for my happiness, but that is in a separate post.
The invitation here is to try something different, and you don’t have to believe me, check it out for yourself.
Take a person you sometimes have difficulty with – with their qualities, tendencies or behaviors (partners are excellent “partners” to work with, such as students are…) and make a list of the things that irritate you; Be petty and judgmental.
Then check if there is a chance that you also act in a similar way, or at least you have acted this way in the past.
Trust me, I would focus on the present.
You may do it “only rarely” and “certainly not with the same intensity”, everything is fine.
It’s a test of our honesty with ourselves, we don’t have to tell anyone, certainly not the subject of our examination.
And I’m really asking, don’t go testing it on other people.
This blog is about getting to know ourselves, with how our minds work, which are the only ones we can really get to know.
And we are not about blame, blame has never led to substantial results.
We are in the business of an honest and brave observation to see where the suffering, the pain, the discomfort in our lives comes from.
We are interested in what will bring us happiness and a life of satisfaction, and you know, one of the sayings I connect with the most is attributed to Albert Einstein, and paraphrased it defines:
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
So the invitation here is to do something different.
The work of education is a wonderful platform to examine, practice and apply this worldview;
I have been a teacher for almost 30 years, and the work of education undergoes an amazing transformation for me year by year, as I apply this worldview more and more.
Because that’s who I am, a practitioner.
And what I practice, and not too easily, is to “use” my dear students as if they were a mirror of my mind – reflecting to me what exists inside it.
What I like to see, I preserve and strengthen.
And the rest, well, I’m working on changing. And yes, it comes down to the subtlest nuances like really trying not to interrupt others during staff meetings and really avoiding using my cell phone in said meetings, because that’s what I want to see in my classroom.
Because you know, the problem with shaving in front of the mirror –
You can’t shave the mirror. It just doesn’t work.
This post is a conceptual alignment because with the return to school and teaching, I would like to practice, also here on the blog, the cases in which I see how reality blocks me, and how I use this worldview to transform it.
So join me, it will be interesting!
Mindful Education 