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Today's
Meditation:
What does it mean to be "out of touch with"
myself? I think I see this in people when they seem
to be making decisions based on what other people want,
when they allow other people to manipulate them, when they
aren't willing or able to be assertive in their
relationships. Not aggressive-- just assertive, and
willing to let others know what they want and don't
want. And perhaps that's the crux of the matter--
they don't really know what they want themselves,
for they've never taken the time necessary for reflection,
never allowed themselves to be alone long enough to
seriously consider what's important to them and what they
expect from life, from other people, and from themselves.
It's important to remember, though, that if we want to be
helpful and useful to other people, we have to be
comfortable with ourselves. If our own affairs
aren't in order emotionally or physically or
intellectually, then just how can we help others to get in
touch with themselves? While some would call the
attitude selfish, it's definitely true that we should take
care of ourselves first, for then we can be helpful to
others. I've worked with far too many teachers who
aren't very helpful to their students because there's too
much going on in their own lives that they're not in touch
with-- they've never taken the time to deal with important
issues, so they bring them into the classroom in the form
of judgmental attitudes, impatience, lack of preparation,
and other behaviors that really shouldn't be a part of the
classroom.
I want to touch others in a positive way. If I want
to do this, I need to slow down and be in touch with my
own needs, and then make sure they're met. Then I
can effectively help others.
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