how to change the way you think

 

The news this past week was discouraging. The fires in Maui, and now in Washington State. The approach of hurricane Hilary. The war in Ukraine. The oppression of women in Afghanistan. The threats posed by climate change. The ongoing political nonsense here in the US. Etc., etc...

If, like me, you sometimes just don't know what to think anymore, it may be time to change the way you think. To question what you have come to believe because of what you were taught, what you have observed, or what you have experienced in your life. To pause for a moment to reconsider your customary or conditioned response to whatever it is you're up against this time. To explore the feelings that emerge unbidden, as if on cue. Anger, hatred, fear, greed, shame. Not a healthy emotion among them. 

"If we could see the miracle of a flower,

our whole life would change."

~Buddha~

If you are looking for a way to push through fear, grief, anger, or shame, this could be your guidebook. It helped me a lot:

The author is a senior teacher in the Shambala Buddhist tradition and founder of the Interdependence Project in NYC.

Ethan Nichtern

This is not a textbook about Buddhist psychology or practice. It is not intended to promote spiritual conversion, or coercion. It is an invitation to consider looking at life from a different perspective. To examine our choices in life. To question our values. To explore our relationships. The author demonstrates how ancient Buddhist teachings can bring equanimity, connection, even peace when the life we know is chaotic, confusing, and often painful. He lives in Manhattan, so he would know.

I decided to re-read this book--this week--because I needed a good healthy dose of wisdom. I learned that a friend I thought was on the road to recovery...actually, is not. His cancer has spread. Another friend starts chemo this week. She lives alone. Another is facing a future of slow memory loss and progressive frailty punctuated by confusion. It was a bit overwhelming to contemplate.

I needed to hear about interdependence again. About loving-kindness and mindfulness. About what is true and what is deceptive. What is real and what is illusory. I needed to re-examine my response to the painful transitions my friends and family are facing...and to think about how I can be helpful to them.

"It may be that when we no longer know 

what to do, we have come to our real work,

and when we no longer know the way to go,

we have begun our real journey."

~Wendell Berry~

If the news is getting you down...if you feel powerless, victimized, or somehow blameworthy, or if the twists and turns that mark your own path through life are confusing and sometimes scary, consider this:

"The simple act of caring

is heroic."

~Edward Albert~

Caring gives you something to reach for. Something to build upon. Something to offer. 

Ask yourself, "What am I called to do in this life?" 

"What difference do I want to make in the world?"

"How will I proceed?"

"People change for two main reasons:

either their minds have been opened or

their hearts have been broken."

~Steve Aitchison~

jan