by Arthur Lockhart
“ Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Victor Fankl
Our world appears to be in a Time of Crisis: our environmental crises, political fractures, ‘us versus them,’ ongoing wars, one crisis following and begetting another. And, amidst this time of crisis ,here you are. Here you are in this time, in this space, creating connections with one another. Creating the time for people to be, just be, simply but profoundly be.
There is a place that lives in all of us. A sacred place that is beyond harm, it is a place where we experience time in a way that invites us ‘to not only see new horizons but to develop new eyes.’
It is in this space where we Provide Attention that Unveils Sacred Experiences (PAUSE). It is in this space where we PAUSE that we get to see ourselves in a place of profound strength, a place where our fears and vulnerabilities are experienced not as confining us, but rather as energy that sustains us on our journey .
Here is where we see our connection with others, and in this connection, time for compassion, and a sense of belonging is experienced. It is this belonging that provide the opportunities for traumas to be engaged in ways that create deep meaningful transformation on the individual, group, societal, global levels.
Words that give expression to this space where we create the time to PAUSE may be empathy, joyful, soulful, mindful, peaceful, spirit, energy, path.
Just shy of 50 years ago, I happened upon a flyer attached to a room on a University Campus inviting students to a session on Zen Meditation. I took up the invitation. Over the course of that session and the many that followed over the years of practice-I found that two small statements I met up with, have a way of surfacing now and again:
1) Student: What is Zen?
Teacher: Zen is sitting when you sit, eating when you eat, listening when you listen.
Student: That sounds so simple.
Teacher: It is. But, so few people do it.
2) If you want to go fast, go slow.
The ability to PAUSE, is in many ways a form of Mindful Meditation. This is the process of creating “growth and freedom” not only for ourselves but for everyone we engage with. But in the 3 words of a teacher who talked about Crazy Wisdom: one must Practice. Practice. Practice. Mindfulness, in this context, is not just a technique. It is a way of being in the world. Mindfulness has the magical quality of allowing one to be present in a way that while it looks like nothing is happening, in reality, everything is happening, absolutely everything of meaning in one’s life can be experienced in a state of mindfulness. Being present is not just and act of “trying to make something better.” Being present is the experience of seeing my ability to respond and not react to the world as it is.
As you move throughout the day, “take the time” to “take it all in.” Take a gentle breath or two or three and look about the room, what do you see? what do you feel?
I would love to hear what you experienced with Your Time.
With deep gratitude.
Arthur
Arthur Lockhart, Order of Ontario
Paul Harris Fellow
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