As I sat in my room with my eyes closed I repeated the four sentences from the universal loving-kindness exercise. I found I would at first picture people close to me and think about how I could help them or picture them smiling, but then I started thinking in bigger pictures and wondering about those I interact with daily. I may want to change my personality or the way I come off towards others I do not know so well so that I can openly help them achieve what it is they want to achieve. While I can only think of a few individuals I truly do not care for, this exercise made me think about them too and wonder how I could help them and maybe if I did I would not feel so opposed to them.
It does bug me when I am asked to complete an exercise and you are reading along and the book asks the reader to close their eyes. My first thought is always "if I close my eyes I won't be able to read what to do next!" Aside from my little pet peeve these exercises really do have some great value. I have a couple areas in life that are suffering and could use added support, but I think the two areas that really suffer the most, with me, are my interpersonal and psychospiritual aspects. This class has opened a lot of my down time to be dedicated to self-reflection and in turn I am learning more about who I am and why I react the way I do at times. I hope to only continue to grow from these experiences.
Hello Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI agree that this class has taught alot about the mind and how it can be trained along with the exercises to improve a person through their mind. Although, it's hard to focus it's actually helping some people.
Haha my first thought is the exact same when the text (or any other book) tells me to close my eyes. It's nice to know I'm not the only one! When repeating the four sentences I did not picture anyone specifically, I viewed it as more of a general statement toward everyone.
ReplyDeleteThis class has taught me a lot about myself as well. I never really took the time to reflect on myself before this class, and now that I have I seen things I never saw before (which isn't always a good thing). What do you think you could do to more effectively deal with the areas in your life that are causing you to suffer?
I have been told that it's not how I treat my loved ones that matters it's how I treat the people I don't like that matters. Now with that being the case I would give myself a big fat F on my report card so far in life but I feel I have time to change that grade and this class is another great example of giving us all tools to be better for all people. I enjoyed the idea that we are all example of spiritual leaders at work. I have always thought the world too big of a place to make a difference but now I'm not so sure. A smile to someone that needs it could have ramifications that we'll never fully understand and I believe that is what this life might be about. I feel that these exercises are built for us to be reminded that we can change the course of our day, and by extension the folks around us as well, whenever we want.
ReplyDeleteMike Scales
Hannah, I feel the same about a text saying "close your eyes". How am I suppose to close my eyes while I read? I found after reading the text a handful of times I could repeat it with my eyes closed. It's just silly that a lot of the exercises in the book tell me to close my eyes.
ReplyDeleteHaving these assignments has really made me think about myself and my personal relationships. I'm thankful we had the opportunity to really think about all aspects of our lives and assess them. It sounds like you too have learned a lot about yourself. I look forward to watching you continue to grow!
Amanda
Hi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that I was not the only one who had the thought trying to close my eyes and then read a passage! I decided to keep reading, then close my eyes and try reciting the passage. I agree that this class has opened up my eyes as well regarding self-reflection and learning about myself. I have learned more about my inner self that I hope will be of even more value when I am able to help others learn about themselves and make improvements in their life.