Our nature is to seek out distractions wherever we can find them. One of the benefits of this modern age is that we are able to manufacture distractions faster than we can think of them! We are inundated with information brokers, who, lets face it; in the current structure of our economy are primarily wordy advertisers. Every day, it seems, there is a new medium put in to place to shove the ever-growing volume of messages in our face. One step further, the vibration in our pocket means anyone and their Mother can interpose themselves on our moments, at will. Ironically enough, a catchword used to describe this is connectivity. But lets not forget the wonder of our more organic proclivity toward obsessing about the past or the future. Put them all together and it spells a predominant life-style called Be There Now! Constructive internal voices that remind us to be more thorough or responsive usually ask us to be more present in the moment to act upon what is, through the filter of past experience. There are other voices inside us, however, that do anything but keep us present. Past directives by parents or significant others, dogmas enforcing Thats the way things have always been done, or, so often, critical self-judgments keep us locked into a sense of anticipatory dread of the next moment to come. Thats where the chain of incompetence begins. Though most evident in some sort of emergency situation, losing focus on the moment even in the most simple things as a conversation knocks us off rhythm and then interposes another pressure on us; getting back to the moment and picking up the thread. Once we succumb to worry of what will be coming next, or fixate on what was missed back when, we begin a process of tripping over the moment that is and, like a domino effect, losing moment after moment after moment. Every moment has a beginning, middle and an end, and an inherent rhythm to it. The art of being a healer is all about seeking your place inside each moment, to establish a flow that includes you rather than separates you from it. On a broad scale, peak effectiveness in any arena is a by-product of being present in the moment and through that attaining intimate connection with the broader situation as it unfolds. It is within the matrix of that connection that healing occurs. Some Zen Masters live in that place. Most of us stumble in and out. Like any sort of muscle-building, it takes practice and repetition to cultivate the ability to be in synch with the moments of our lives. Once we realize the value of being fully present in the moment, its an exciting way of being to pursue. At first, it takes a conscious push to eliminate all of those things that compete for our attention. Its a process of first identifying and then eradicating barriers to being right there. Buddhist philosophy identifies this as the process of recognizing and letting go of attachments. An attachment is basically anything that you cling to that is not of the present moment. But with practice, you find yourself just making the choice to connect with the moment rather than having to do the work of first identifying and then getting things out of the way so you can be present in it. The idea of pushing is actually not quite what its about. An example would be grappling with the directive that were not supposed to allow personal feelings to interfere with the care that were rendering. This is true, but what were taught is to suppress, or squash, or deny or avoid feelings as they come up. Getting them out of the way implies a form of active resistance. Being completely present in the moment, however, is about allowing those feelings to be without clinging to them. It means acknowledging that these impressions exist and, rather than having to take a stand against them, (which means setting your energy into opposition against something), give them permission to be, and then let them move through you. If you take the time, and pay attention to yourself and others, youll discover every moment has an emotion attached to it. Most important, though, is that every moment and the emotion connected with it -- passes. Its something of which were not usually conscious. We have been trained that there are certain emotions that are acceptable during certain situations. Those we dont question and we allow ourselves to experience them and let them follow their own course. But, of course, we make sure the expression of the emotion doesnt get too big! The emotions that weve been taught as unacceptable, such as anger, fear or shame, however, threaten our presence in the moment. As soon as we begin to experience them we begin questioning why, and thats when we start tripping and the vicious cycle begins. Mastery in any profession is determined, in part, by the ability of the person to deal with what is rather than what the person thinks it should be or wants it to be. Being right there with the moment at hand leads to a real rather than fanciful connection which opens the door through which healing can step through. |
