Week 4: Reflection

I am engaged with what I am doing in the community. When I plan something, I have to really reflect on what are the impacts of my action or question. "Half the Speed" was such a fun activity. Most of the community really enjoyed doing that exercise. We had dinner together after the walk and I asked all the individuals present what they think of the activity. The responses were really amazing. I could see, few of the community member were not into it and they just did it for the sake of doing it. Whenever there an event, couple of people have other plans; some people work and not everyone is available over the weekend. This is their first semester and it is not a bad idea to go visit their family, siblings and other friends from high school. For our community, all the students have to attend at least 18 community activities. Most of the people already have complete 4 to 6 events in first three weeks and that is really awesome to see. At the same time, there are couple of people who are not taking the group activities very seriously. When I had one-on-one conversation, I remind them about the group activities and remind them how important it is for them to participate, get involved and learn from these events. Well, I can show and inform them what the possibilities are, I can suggest them what works for me and share that with them.

I am very impulsive at times; I feel like I have the impulse to change the world and sometime I forget that "It is everything that appears, as it appears" (Jeff Foster). I tend to forget, everything has it own place and at times I need to remind myself I can't judge a person based on one comment or an act. Like Jeff Foster states, "How could I reject a part of itself?". Just that sentence gives me chill. It makes me really wonder what I am doing. I am not only trying to build an environment where everyone in the community feels safe and comfortable with each other, I consider the space that everyone shares to be open and inviting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYNlqNK1_sA
"The world is the perfect reflection of you" (Jeff Foster).And, I sometime see the doors of the common areas closed. That makes me question. Is that something that the student chose to do or am I failing to understand them. I like to think that I am open, inclusive and inviting but am I really doing that? Do I need to tell any of my students how to live their lives?

I couldn't resist myself and I need to share this (from Jeff Foster):
Out of primordial not-knowing, a cloudburst. Thought appears, and possession begins. Not-knowing turns to "I don't know" in a heartbeat, and now there is the illusion of a "person who doesn't know". 

Is that who you really are? A person who doesn't know? 

And here, in this misidentification, the search of a lifetime begins. The "one who doesn't know" seeks to become its own negation, the "one who knows", assuming that freedom lies in that direction.

"One day, I will know..."

But the liberation we seek was there from the very beginning, prior to the "I don't know", in the impersonal not-knowing, the profound mystery that gives rise to universes. Absolute peace.

All the knowledge in the world won't satisfy us. The weight of intellectual understanding even suffocates some. The books rot, the authority figures die, the clever words are forgotten, and we are brought to our knees in exhaustion, free-falling into the loving surrender of not knowing once again. It is as it was. Nothing except Here, Now, This. 

Total simplicity.