As this blog develops, I notice that I am posting my students write to me. A word of explanation: I teach a course called Creativity for Artists, Writers and Musicians to a group of seniors preparing for graduation. As part of their assignments they are required to write me a "letter" every week during the semester telling about how they are using material from the course in their daily lives. More about that some other time.
This week, a student wrote "I am not the only one on this campus who feels that they do not have a moment to think."
My response: It's not only people on campus who feel that way. Our lives tend to be too busy, too frenetic, too noisy, too impulsive, affording us little time or "space" to be reflective. We are programmed to be shallow,vapid and grasping, collecting one experience after another without ever having the opportunity to process them on any but the most superficial level. I remember a TV ad broadcasted over 25 years ago that claimed a certain kind of yogurt would "feed your soul." I found it so demeaning, to suggest that my soul is something that could be "fed" by the right kind of sour milk! And that was 25 years ago. It just keeps getting worse. You cannot expect things to change once you graduate and enter the "real world."
The truth is that you cannot depend on schools or other institutions, workplaces or other environments other than retreat houses and monasteries to nurture your most important needs. You need to make choices that will give you the time you need to stay balanced and reflective in a way that both nurtures your life and that provides you with balance, thoughtfulness and gratitude on a daily basis. Even taking the time to read this is more than a lot of people can handle. You've read this to the end. Congratulations! You have already taken a big step in the right direction."
No comments:
Post a Comment