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SHAPING A BEAUTIFUL MIND
Phil wanted us, BCs, to share news from our side of the world, but I was thinking that these days, the world is like never before, one world. And what happens in this one world is painful. And while it hurts in different ways in different places, if there is one thing that is common, is that these days are painful.
It is difficult to be at home alone. For others, it is difficult to be at home with others. For some, it is stressful to be at home working for 10 hours. For others, it is stressful to be at home having been subjects of a furlough.
No matter on which situation we are, it hurts.
And to find solace, I have been back to the trusty lines in my trusty books of my trusty writers. Lines about these arts of “always have something beautiful in your mind”, or “asking beautiful questions in unbeautiful moments” have been a life-vest.
John O’Donohue often quoted a phrase from Blas Pascal, that “you should always keep something beautiful in your mind”, so you could look at it when in times of difficulty. And he used to say that shaping a beautiful mind is an actual discipline, and one of the ways he said you could shape a more beautiful mind is by asking beautiful questions. And he would clarify that a beautiful question starts to shape our identity as much by asking it as it does by having it answered.
This life in lockdown has the gift of time, that otherwise is too often too short to invest in this endeavor of finding beautiful questions to ask ourselves.
And these days I have been deeply listened by many friends, work colleagues -some who are friends too and some others that I had only met in the kitchen at the office-, my therapist and even my boss. And these days I have given my best to deeply listen to my friends, work colleagues -some who are friends too and some others that I had only met in the kitchen at the office-, my therapist, and (even) my boss!
And these days I have seen so many pictures of doctors and nurses who in addition to providing medical care to COVID-19 patients while in isolation at the hospital, they are also providing them with company, courage, strength, love, being the only ones who are there for them bedside.
And the question that came up to me has been “What would it be like to imagine that I could be trustable by a fellow human being who is suffering?”
Maybe, for us pilgrims, this may not be a new question; instead of in a bed-side situation, we surely were path-side, but when wondering which could be our voice as pilgrims in this pandemic, I think it might be around that question… which I think is beautiful in any context.
Side-wise Love,
Cris
Beautiful! Great post!
Similar, though your comments cast the net further, I have liked to lean into this scripture when
I my brain tailspins: Philippians 4:8 “In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.”
Also, I have my private, beautiful island (created in my mind over time) with an adjacent forest that I retreat to for reprieve from pain at times!
Hi Robbi,
Thank you for your comment! In your comment, you “cast the net further” with the island you created! That is such a helpful resource! In this same piece where John O’Donohue talked about “Beauty”, he was asked that it was easier for him living in such a landscape as the west of Ireland, but he replied saying that “the sun comes out and goes down in every spot of the world”… Totally doable for me, living in a big city, in a tiny apartment with no amazing outdoors nearby.
Warm hugs,
Cris
Thanks, Cris. Lovely. I also find, at the end of the day, doing the Examen of St. Ignatius helps. Two simple questions: what was the highlight, what was the low point, of my day? God was with me at both.
I like your reminder that in life–esp in these CV times–and on the Camino, there are angels to help us, but also (as Phil likes to say) we are angels, too, for others. It goes both ways.
You are an angel for me today!
Dear Henriette,
Definitely, this approach of looking for the beauty in the day is very Ignatian…!
When all this pandemic was starting to unravel, we were discussing what would be our voice as pilgrims… I wrestled with the question quite a long time, but at the end, I think it was the same question as how would I like to live my life once I arrived to Santiago? And if there is something I learned was that I wanted to see the goodness, the beautiful, in the day, in myself, in the others, and do something in return… these days, that is translated as giving calls to whoever is in need and listen, help financially in the proportion we can, look after each other… and other small things… I came once more to realize that my grandiose plans don’t have a place in this context, but who said that the plans need to be grandiose?! God is in the details! <3
Lots of love to you and Katherine!
Cris