In moments when we are stressed, anxious, or insecure about the future, we tend to want to leap into action. Yet when we do, the resultant actions are often unfocused and scattered. We try to do too much, too quickly, without a clear plan. Like a startled animal, we just run. It is impossible to make wise decisions out of fear. Instead, can you remain unmoving until the emotions – your mud – settle, and a clear plan emerges? Can you connect to your innate wisdom underneath the fear?
Reality mirrors our mental state. Our collective mental state is influenced and deeply unsettled by an ever-increasing focus on the negative aspects of our lives, brought to us by the news and social media. It is no wonder we often feel scared and overwhelmed. When you interact with someone angry, fearful, or aggressive, their mental state will trigger a similar emotion in you as long as you are not aware of that process. Like the COVID pandemic, we ‘infect’ each other with negativity (or positivity!) on the mental level. The COVID pandemic is a mirror of our inner reality.
In the same way that we react to the coronavirus, we try to protect ourselves from the mental ‘virus’ of negativity by putting up ‘boundaries’. We want to defend ourselves, and in the process, make us feel vulnerable and unsafe. Instead of defense, can you be present with your own emotions, and let them settle in their own time, without blaming another? Can you be connected to the other person who is in pain, yet stay present and peaceful yourself?
Awareness is mental immunity to the collective mental state.
Awareness is mental immunity to the collective mental state. Just like Anthony de Mello says in his article ”Substituting one cruelty for another”: whenever you act out of fear and anger, you amplify the stressful situation. You might think you are dealing with what is causing you to stress, or you are acting for the benefit of it – we often believe that fear and anger are good motivators. But is this even true?
Until you have come back to relaxed presence, the essence of awareness, of being in meditation, if only for a moment – clear, beneficial action cannot arise. You are not able to access your inner wisdom nor able to connect on a heart level to another.
Can you remain unmoving until your mud settles and the water runs clear?
I am a busy, focused person, someone with a strong drive, who, even without coffee, gets a lot accomplished every day. There are times when I let the meditation and daily inquiry slip – and without fail, my waters get muddy. I stop seeing clearly, and the result is anxiety and fear. Keeping my mind clean is as essential as brushing my teeth. These practices are what keeps me productive, focused, and balanced. When I begin to slip, I spread suffering – for myself, my husband, kids, colleagues, and pets.
You keep your body clean, why not your mind also?
For anyone who wants to create a more positive world, consider first and foremost your mental state. Can you remain unmoving in the face of fear and anger? Can you let your mud settle before you leap into action? Can you take full responsibility for your thoughts, emotions, and actions? When it comes from a place of internal clarity, action can be skillful and wise. Beyond every other power out there, that is the state of mind that will shift this world.
Read how to change the perception of adversity with Inquiry https://theleaderswork.com/uncategorized/the-gifts-in-adversity/
And use Inquiry to work on moving bias https://theleaderswork.com/uncategorized/towards-inclusion-the-key-to-moving-bias/
