The idea of “understanding” has emerged a few times in the past twenty-four hours so I figured I should probably explore it. I’ve come to “understand” that things present themselves for a reason and my meditation is the best time to dive deep.
My favorite quote is, “Show me and I’ll forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I’ll understand.” I carry that concept around with me as a corner stone of everything I do. It’s the way I like to learn, and it’s the way I’ve learned to teach.
The concept of understanding also arose when I was watching a video on Chinese brush painting. The instructor stated there are three steps to brush painting, watching, doing, and understanding. I thought about this for a while after watching the demonstration because it’s how my mentors have guided me throughout my life. I learn best when I can be an active participant in the learning process.
My understanding was challenged today when the U.S. Senate with the help the Vice President of the United States confirmed Betsy DeVos as the Secretary of Education. I’ve seen the news channels, the petitions online, the public outcry to politicians stating she’s not the right candidate for our children and public education.
After the vote I’m feeling quite discouraged. My meditation time was spent trying to understand, but the only answer that keeps arising is money and power. I’ve spent my career as a mental health professional and life coach striving to understand the process of people’s lives and working hand-in-hand to alleviate their pain and make strides for success.
It feels like there are two modes of understanding, one deep, personal, and authentic, and the other filled with empty promises, self-serving agendas, and despair. I obviously prefer the first, and as I sit here writing I am declaring that I will attach myself to the former and know in my heart that I’ve made a healthy conscious choice.
I choose for understanding to be kind and compassionate. I choose for understanding to serve as a pathway to betterment for all. I choose for understanding to expand my realm of acceptance and inclusion.
It’s not as if I’m going to agree with everyone in the world. If I work toward understanding and attempt to see the world based on their life experiences, their belief systems, and their social and cultural circumstances I’ll be a more peaceful individual walking the planet.
Man of the Cloth 