Let me explain why I think presence in the way I define it is so central to individual happiness, social well-being, environmental sustainability and global cultures of peace.
As I make clear in my book–Educating for Humanity: Rethinking the Purposes of Education–the problem in society and in schools is that we are disconnected from our deeper selves. That core disconnection underlies all other disconnections, causing social injustices, conflict, materialistic appetites, environmental destruction and the entire spectrum of suffering on the material plane. Until we feel through our inner being a profound communing with all people, beings and life itself, we will continue to trample on each other, on other life forms and Earth our home. This hunger for connection to the largeness in life, is also a hunger for meaning and for the liberating power of imagination when dynamically linked to the great source of all inspiration.
At the center of all personal crises and of the current world crisis is a spiritual crisis. The religious traditions have been a source of division in failing to touch the formless, mystical core for which all peoples yearn. and, therefore, in not seeing what is universal about their rendering of the ultimate that would create common cause with other traditions. Presence has been known up till now in its various manifestations as God, Allah, Christ-mind, Buddha-mind, but too few religious leaders (much less their followers) have perceived and honored the spiritual heart common to all humanity. Different cultures at different times perceived a unity, either seeing it as transcendent (as in theistic religions) or immanent (as in indigenous beliefs), but the perception was limited by culture and what was known of the world in that time.
Religions and ideologies which have been a source of meaning and connection for millennia are now needing to broaden their perception of ultimacy and begin to reinterpret the truths of their tradition in light of the integral world as we know it today. Physics, biology, ecology systems theory and many disciplines have shown the interconnected nature of reality, but our religious, political, economic and educational institutions perpetuate a divided world where competition and domination reign and bring us to ruin.
We now face a globalized world confronting life-threatening issues that cannot be addressed except through exceptional global cooperation and understanding–and this will only occur through the emergence of a planetary consciousness.
That unity is and has always been there. Humanity is now being called to take the next step, move out of cultural, national, species and even planetary isolation, opening heart & mind to the oneness in all.
In this light, the presence we need today to teach, parent, love and live life on planet earth is one which is wide open to everything that is, and the only way that can happen is if we surrender to the moment. We can wonder in these darkest of times how such presence can survive in any part of our personal and professional lives, much less environments like public schools which–troubled as they have been–are now suffering even more under the pressure of No Child Left Behind.
What I do know is that in the deepest darkness, any light is tremendously bright. We should not forget that an unsustainable system by its very definition simply cannot last. The world is changing.
Filed under: The Great Awakening, The Path
1. I started out as a fairly predictable Episcopal turned Evangelical Christian but as I began to see the larger world, stepped outside this religious construct. I responded at length to the first reading in respect to this question regarding one particular event in my life. I would further list my extensive reading of Jung, Joseph Campbell. Both of those minds went a long way toward freeing me from the religious constructs that had defined my thinking before that point. also the death of my grandfather was a pivotal point in opening me to the larger universe around me.
2. I’ll respond to this tomorrow.
2. I think I would consider myself “Very Aware” on all of the issues posted in “Context for Planetary Awakening”. That’s much of the reason I was so painfully aware of the endless list of horrible decisions made during the Bush years. If you look at the course of dominant civilizations often there is a fairly short window of time toward the end of their dominance that was pivotal to their demise where the worst possible people were in power and made a series of the worst possible decisions that then set in motion events that were irreversible. It is my most sincere hope that we have not just passed through one of those historic pivotal periods and that we can reverse the damage before it is too late.
3. I remember so well following 9/11 the atmosphere in my school and the society in general. It was one of the few times in my teaching career that I truly felt I had to be careful what I said or I could lose my job. I was appalled by the statements that came out of fellow teachers mouths such as, “They’re not like us. They don’t believe in the same things we do.” Even when I reminded them that they were falling into the classic us/them mindset that allows for the distancing necessary to do atrocious things to other people. I also had a colleague say, “There’s nothing we can do as these are the End Times and its all leading up to Armageddon. All this just to say that the line between tolerance and intolerance can be a very thin one in deed.
I meditate, commute to and from work on my bike and try to meet each person at school as a valuable individual.
1. See my response to “Greeting Fellow Pathfinders.”
2. Like Jim, I think I’m “very aware” of all the issues posted on “Context for Planetary Awakening.”
3. In my opinion, we get one life to live. The present moment is unchangingly now, and it’s constantly changing. There’s plenty to do and see right here in the now.
Because we’ve evolved in a dangerous world, full of disease, predators, and accident, we pay attention to our experience, both immediate and mediated. Santayana said, “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.” True. But the past isn’t a place. You don’t get to live there, and if you try, you end up lost and brooding. Take what it’s taught you and leave the rest behind.
In the same way, the future isn’t made for the grit and wonder of human habitation. Maybe there’s pie in the sky, but you can’t have it now. It’s pretty silly to waste the now in anticipation of pie later. Most successful cultures have some kind of ethic of preparing for the future, and in my own experience, that works nicely. But do it knowing that now is where you are actually living. The end does not justify the means. Live honorably and mindfully now and the future will take care of itself.
Every great religion teaches that compassion is a route to salvation/enlightenment. We are tribal beings and we are responsible for each other. Remember that all the people around us are living now, not off in the past or future. That’s not to say that you have to fully engage with everyone who knocks on the door of your attention. When it’s appropriate, however (and always, with babies), pay attention, listen, and find a way to be compassionate with others.
It may be that today’s world makes extra demands on our personal and professional lives, but I think that’s a cultural situation and we do have choices about it. Some situations, like having a newborn baby or being in an emergency, are inherently demanding. But in other situations, like many of the ones I’ve encountered in the workplace, the stress is mostly in the imagination. We expect to worry about things like deadlines or money, but worrying isn’t fruitful.
In my own experience, stress is almost entirely self-induced. I am currently in the midst of several situations that our culture insists are stressful, but I simply don’t experience them that way. I have a few friends I can talk to, which is important to me. I have a couple of activites like walking and painting which both provide time for “unwinding” and enough substance to keep me fully engaged. I meditate and contemplate (the one is receptive, the other active). And, possibly the most important, I’m old enough to have tried other less successful techniques like panicking or worrying or chewing my own heart to shreds, and have learned that they don’t go anywhere good.
3. Honestly, being present is a tough one for me. Knowing I’ve done my best to start out the day well with my own children, and then feeling prepared for the day at school is a challenge. Time constraints abound and sometimes it seems like the numerous details to keep track of each day are having an adverse effect on my memory.
The most helpful way for me to handle the full-up life is to get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise regularly. My two girls are involved in 1 extra-curricular activity apiece, and living in a small town we don’t have to drive them around much. We protect our family time, ending each day by reading aloud together.
At work, I have several people I admire and respect to go to for support and ideas. I build community in my classroom all year, if one of us is hurting we do our best to make that person’s day improve. We started RTI this year and many times I felt pressure and stress over test scores. It’s hard to be present when I feel this way, but eventually the feeling subsides. It’s easy to get sucked into the fear that’s behind the test-score bonanza. Our scores are published in the local newspaper which I jokingly refer to as ‘the public flogging’.
I think after 11 years I’m getting over the ‘I need to cover such-and-so’ syndrome, but the worry replacing it is how so much developmental evidence about learning is ignored. Anyway, yes, being present is so important but I simply don’t know how to do it more than I am.
As discussed in my first reply (posting under “Greeting Fellow Pathfinders”), it is truly difficult for me to “just be.” While I try to develop an awareness of and an appreciation of this concept, I truly struggle. My dog, Chloe, helps me to be more grounded to people and place…and present.
Separating my professional life from my personal one…hmm?! Okay the dog helps here too. Since I don’t have much of a personal life, it is easy for me to lose myself in work (after all, it’s “for the kids”). Getting down to it, it’s hard for me to go home to an empty house. Where’s the fun in that? I do have lots of friends and acquaintances, but really long for quiet after a busy day of teaching. I do so much talking and interacting that it is nice to be quiet and alone (not lonely). Or is it? In a perfect world, I’d go home to someone else who wasn’t craving “deep conversation” and could just hang out doing little if nothing at all. See, this is where the dog comes in. She has mastered not flooding me with small talk and is happy to do little, if nothing. With her, I do feel grounded and not lonely. And content!
Professionally, my life is RUSH, RUSH, RUSH. Teaching has plenty of demands, but I seem to keep adding more to the list and to my hours. My union work is fulfilling, but demanding of my spare time—as are the professional development groups I join and the classes I take after hours. This summer, I have been on the road one and a half months. I have been home but 5 short days (and not concurrently). I really can’t complain, though. Or at least, too loudly☺ I do it to myself, though am not really sure why.
As far as taking care of myself goes, I am probably doing a better job of it than I ever have. Again, the dog helps. I walk her daily, make sure she has play sessions with me, and come home to be with her as soon as I possibly can. For me, I have joined Weight Watchers and have lost 20 lbs. I am trying to eat healthily and drink more water and less alcohol. I have quit smoking, and read every evening because I enjoy it. I frequently enjoy the company of friends and family often. And, I find myself more and more drawn to nature and her majesty.
What I have learned as I get older is that being merely physically present in your life (some may call this “going through the motions”) is not enough. For me to have a positive existence, I must be involved mentally and spiritually. Again I think this is a trait I get better at as I get older…realizing I must take the time to continually evaluate my own life and how I am affecting others lives. We only get once chance in our current life form on earth, so we must think about where we have been, where we are now, and where we want to go with regard to our life. The question I try to ask myself regularly is “Am I making the world a better place with the decisions I am making?” If I can answer yes to that question at the end of each day, then I am making strides in the right direction.
I have different ways to cope with the pressures and strains of the daily grind, where you have so many issues and problems to deal with regarding all aspects of life- work, family, finances, etc. I try to get things off my chest by talking to my lovely wife, or when my wife isn’t listening, I talk to my 200 lb. English Mastiff, Stella….she always seems to listen J. I have a fantastic group of friends that have been part of my life for many years now, I sometimes just try to sit and relax in a quiet room or outside in the back yard, and I try to “control the controllables”. I have learned not to get too worked up about actions or decisions that other people make, as you cannot control others.
Some things I do to take care of myself: I run anywhere from 6-12 miles a week (usually 3-4 runs a week), I try to get in the weight room 2-3 times a week, I see a chiropractor once a month, and my massage therapist once a month. I try to get outside and get fresh air as much as possible, I try to take at least one cool vacation a year, even if it’s just for a week. I realize that I just need to slow down sometimes, and every now and then saying “no” is okay. One goal I have for myself is to try and get more reading done during my down time.
3. It’s of the utmost importance to be present to those around us (including those right next to us) which is why teaching in schools often drives me crazy. The structure of our schools is counter-productive to this purpose in many ways, and even though I feel that teaching is one of the most important times and places to institute change and instill hope, I feel like I’m working against a system that is always pulling in the opposite direction. I try to take care of myself by making time to do what makes me centered, but I can’t claim to have found a balance in my life, or be able to provide the best model to my students. I quite frankly don’t know how to balance the demands of my work and personal life with my recognition that the quality of our communities needs to be much different than it currently is. Sometimes I feel that working in school when they are structured as they are is participating in inflicting the damage, and I daydream about working manual labor, where the fruits of exertion are physically measurable… But, since I am a teacher and am responsible for providing a model, the best I feel I can do now is help my students identify this common struggle and the ways people are working towards hope.