Barry this is such a beautiful and timely reflection. As a pscyhotherapist I spend much of my day helping people who are overwhelmed by despair with external circumstances, and you're so right about the role of meaning as a way to transcend and calm the tumult. We cannot be intimidated by this idea of finding meaning....in fact, meaning can often be found in the most simple or mundane acts. Extending kindness towards others is a well-worn path to meaning for a good reason. Finding a source of grounding is also important to cultivating a positive and internally regulated mindset. Wendell Berry's poem, The Peace of Wild Things, for instance, soothingly reminds us to turn to nature and the earth. Since anxiety always comes from the future, finding ways to be fully present now (pets, children and animals are good for this!) grants the joy and peace of the present moment and is an antidote to worry. I cannot recommend weed pulling highly enough--what an amazing way to regulate frustration, anger and grief. And at the end of the day, the wisdom of the Serenity Prayer helps us acknowledge the reality that we must let go of the multitude of things we ultimately do not control.
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.” Herein lies one of the main benefits of a consistent meditation practice. We learn to identify how our minds work; the recurrent narratives; the triggers; the way to separate and create a delay so that we can choose how to respond. This prevents the habituated karmic implications ad infinitum.
One of the things we differentiate in Chinese medicine is mood vs. emotion vs. temperament. Moods are like the wind, they come and go and we don't really understand why we feel a particular way. Emotions have context, narrative, thought and story behind them. Temperaments are constitutional ways of seeing the world and behaving. Each require different treatment strategies, but awareness is always key.
Barry this is such a beautiful and timely reflection. As a pscyhotherapist I spend much of my day helping people who are overwhelmed by despair with external circumstances, and you're so right about the role of meaning as a way to transcend and calm the tumult. We cannot be intimidated by this idea of finding meaning....in fact, meaning can often be found in the most simple or mundane acts. Extending kindness towards others is a well-worn path to meaning for a good reason. Finding a source of grounding is also important to cultivating a positive and internally regulated mindset. Wendell Berry's poem, The Peace of Wild Things, for instance, soothingly reminds us to turn to nature and the earth. Since anxiety always comes from the future, finding ways to be fully present now (pets, children and animals are good for this!) grants the joy and peace of the present moment and is an antidote to worry. I cannot recommend weed pulling highly enough--what an amazing way to regulate frustration, anger and grief. And at the end of the day, the wisdom of the Serenity Prayer helps us acknowledge the reality that we must let go of the multitude of things we ultimately do not control.
Thanks for another essay affirming the positive in the midst of so much despair.
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.” Herein lies one of the main benefits of a consistent meditation practice. We learn to identify how our minds work; the recurrent narratives; the triggers; the way to separate and create a delay so that we can choose how to respond. This prevents the habituated karmic implications ad infinitum.
One of the things we differentiate in Chinese medicine is mood vs. emotion vs. temperament. Moods are like the wind, they come and go and we don't really understand why we feel a particular way. Emotions have context, narrative, thought and story behind them. Temperaments are constitutional ways of seeing the world and behaving. Each require different treatment strategies, but awareness is always key.
Prof. B: Another knock out of the park.thank you for helping me to lift myself up. Yes, the weed pulling works for me! Much Respect, Mike