Curiosity

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beliefs, conversation, curiousity, deep listening, interactions, Meg Wheatley, reflection, spiritual practice, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Turning To One Another

Yesterday I was able to meet with my monthly “spiritual practices circle” for the first time this year. It was a lovely way to spend a slice of the day and a renewal of my conviction about the importance of deep listening and conversation. I was taken back to that privileged time this morning as I read some of Meg Wheatley’s comments in her book, Turning to One Another. Her point is something to remember in the complex and tumultuous times in which we live. I offer her words as a reflection that may open us in new ways  in our interactions with others today – or any day.

It is very difficult to give up our certainties – our positions, our beliefs, our explanations. These help define us; they lie at the heart of our personal identity. Yet I believe we will succeed in changing this world only if we can think and work together in new ways. Curiosity is what we need. We don’t have to let go of what we believe, but we do need to be curious about what someone else believes. We do need to acknowledge that their way of interpreting the world might be essential to our survival…

To be curious about how someone else interprets things, we have to be willing to admit that we’re not capable of figuring things out alone. If our solutions don’t work as well as we want them to, if our explanations of why something happened don’t feel sufficient, it’s time to begin asking others what they see and think. When so many interpretations are available, I can’t understand why we would be satisfied with superficial conversations where we pretend to agree with one another. (p. 35)

 

 

 

 

 

Being Disturbed

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beliefs, challenged, curious, disturbed, holidays, ideas, identity, Meg Wheatley, Turning To One Another

I probably should have said something gleaned from Meg Wheatley’s book, Turning to One Another before the holidays started since so many of us were on our way to gatherings during these days. If close to home, we are probably back in our own space by now, safe in our daily routines. For some, today may be a travel day, perhaps an unlikely time to be on the internet – unless stuck in an airport, of course. Anyway, I wasn’t feeling as if I had anything to say this morning that was worthy of note but, since I needed a companion for my second cup of coffee, I pulled Meg Wheatley off the shelf and opened to a section named willing to be disturbed. Although the entire section is worthy of note, the beginning caught my eye immediately. I will only submit to you the first paragraph and a short addendum but once again, I offer the book as one to review on a regular basis because her words are relevant, it seems, to whatever day we find them in – ordinary or not.

As we work together to restore hope to the future, we need to include a new and strange ally – our willingness to be disturbed. Our willingness to have our beliefs and ideas challenged by what others think. No one person or perspective can give us the answers we need to the problems of today. Paradoxically, we can only find those answers by admitting we don’t know. We have to be willing to let go of our certainty and expect ourselves to be confused for a time…

It is very difficult to give up our certainties – our positions, our beliefs, our explanations. These help define us; they lie at the heart of our personal identity. Yet I believe we will succeed in changing this world only if we can think and work together in new ways. Curiosity is what we need. We don’t have to let go of what we believe, but we do need to be curious about what someone else believes. We do need to acknowledge that their way of interpreting the world might be essential to our survival. (p. 34-35)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith in the Future

Tags

action, beliefs, courage, faith, faith quotient, future, Meg Wheatley, responsibility, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Turning To One Another, uncomfortable, unfamiliar, values

There’s a lot of distress about the future in our country and the world these days. It’s often really difficult to see how we will overcome the negative forces that seem to surround us on every front. Sometimes it’s important just to stop and take stock of where we stand and what we believe is possible. Meg Wheatley, in her book Turning to One Another asks the question: What is my faith in the future? and then offers the following thoughts.

Where does the future come from? It often feels these days as if the future arrives from nowhere. Suddenly things feel unfamiliar, we’re behaving differently, the world doesn’t work the way it used to. We’re surprised to find ourselves in this new place – it’s uncomfortable and we don’t like it.

The future doesn’t take form irrationally, even though it feels that way. The future comes from where we are now. It materializes from the actions, values, and beliefs we’re practicing now. We’re creating the future every day, by what we choose to do. If we want a different future, we have to take responsibility for what we are doing in the present.

After discussing several examples of how we might accept that responsibility and move forward, she concludes with the following statement. We have sufficient human capacities – to think and reflect together, to care about one another, to act courageously, to reclaim the future. These great human capacities moved into action are what give me faith in the future. (p. 64, 67)

What is your “faith quotient” right now? How will you work toward its realization?

 

 

 

 

 

Baptism

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baptism, beliefs, Christ, John the Baptist, new year's resolutions, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, that cinematic event of Jesus humbling himself to be baptized by John and the Spirit coming to rest on Jesus, the Beloved Son. I was three weeks old when I was baptized so the ritual of initiation into the Christian family is powerful to me only by hearsay. I have been blessed, however, to have participated in many rituals of baptism for people of all ages and it is always meaningful to hear parents and godparents speak their willingness to pass on the faith to those too young to speak for themselves. My parents and godparents certainly took that responsibility seriously. More meaningful to me as I grow older, however, is the conviction of people being baptized as adults, stating for themselves and all who hear their beliefs and their willingness to live a life congruent with those beliefs. That is an  admirable and sometimes difficult task in this changing, complex world. It takes great reflection and courage to know ourselves and what we say “yes” to each day. Having a faith community in which we can wrestle with the difficult issues and reaffirm our faith is a great advantage. Today is a good day for all of us to review what we are committed to by our faith and, in the spirit of “New Year’s Resolutions”, to resolve anew to live honestly and seriously our commitment to the God who calls us beloved children.