Big Enough to Take It All In
To want to see clearly is a true act of fearlessness. To open our heart and mind, to be open to what life is offering us in this moment, requires tremendous courage and steadfastness.
In the openness, we will encounter the information we pushed away, the messages we wouldn't hear, the ideas we rejected, the people we made invisible.
Our openness also invites in penetrating emotions—grief, sorrow, love, compassion.
We do not create the space of clear seeing with our usual methods. No questioning, no analysis, no distinctions—just bearing witness to what's present. The less we sort, judge, categorize or distinguish, the more we see and feel.
Without our usual filters and boundaries, we stop feeling repulsed or threatened or thrilled. We discover that we're much larger than our usual boundedness. In fact, we're big enough to take it all in.
And wonderfully true, the more open we become, the less fear is present. Fear does a very good job of keeping us from being present filling us with thoughts about what might happen in the future, or what seemed to have happened in the past.
But in this present moment, fear is nowhere to be found. Clear seeing has no fear. We are in this very moment released from fear's mesmerizing grip.
To be free from fear, we merely need to be in the present moment. Then we can see clearly.
Margaret Wheatley is an American writer and management consultant who studies organizational behavior. This piece is excerpted from her book Perseverance.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the notion that we are big enough to take it all in? Can you share a personal story of a time you bore witness with complete openness? What helps you fearlessly commit to wanting to see clearly?
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7 Past Reflections
On Jul 21, 2017 Stanley Sponseller wrote :
Brilliant. "I see that the mind itself is the frame, the pattern; it lives in the habitual pattern which it has created for itself. Therefore, the mind itself is fear. Whatever the mind ..." J. Krisnamurti
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On Jun 9, 2017 Amy wrote :
Made by God, I am an open book to Him. (He is my Father.) No matter the obstacles around me ... I am thankful there are NONE keeping Him from me. I stand on His shoulders and become big enough to "take this moment in". (Fearful by nature, I am less in Him!)
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On Jun 7, 2017 Kristin Pedemonti wrote :
1 reply: Me | Post Your Reply
On Jun 6, 2017 adam wrote :
... we all will die, there is always war and violence somewhere, poverty will go on, corruption is in line with the increasing number of humans and religion is not a solution for any problem ...
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On Jun 3, 2017 david doane wrote :
For me, to want to see clearly is not scary -- to do it, to actually open my eyes and see clearly is sometimes scary. We are big enough to be open to what life offers, and if we think we're not it's time we learn that we are. Our preconceived attitudes, predictions, expectations, and prejudices hinder us from seeing what is. Being open to what is and dealing with it is satisfying and growthful, and doing it reveals that and helps me to commit to doing it more. Being open to what is and dealing with what is is to be dealing with the truth, and truth may at times be scary and difficult to accept, but it is the truth that sets us free.
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