Dialogue San Diego: Looking Inward, Outward, and Beyond

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Looking Inward, Outward, and Beyond

When I attended my first Dialogue workshop a few years ago, I was surprised by the gentleness of the three stances: contemplative noticing or mindfulness; non-defended learning; and nonviolence. It was as if I had Come Home: slowing down to listen inwardly to - and notice outwardly - the relationships that exist between myself, others, and the world.

It reminded me of vacations where I would set time aside to notice the faithfulness of the ocean waves, the expansiveness of distant horizons, and the time-honored stateliness of the redwood trees. Each of these vacay moments created awarenesses of Oneness and Interconnection: each provided a sense of Freedom and Invitation to live life wholly: a holy life.

Where is your focus: Dark clouds? The horizon?
Or the Oneness of the whole picture?

Because of the workshop, I now notice that when I base life solely on my assumptions, meanings and conclusions about others, my experience of the world darkens and becomes limited to my views and experiences. As I practice the Dialogue Skills, I become appreciative that there are many opportunities for calmness and patience, if I but seek them out by listening beyond my understanding. (See Dialogue San Diego posting of January 29, 2017.)

The Dialogue Skills invite us into a number of choices:

Do we want to be in conversation with others?
Do we want to check out differing conclusions and beliefs?
Do we want to seek a broader understanding of what others see and experience?
Do we desire to be in relationship?

Are we able to look beyond?
Do we desire calming moments of clarity?

The task ahead is putting into practice these choices of inclusion and nonviolence towards others as we face a challenge: how to ask a new set of questions that encompass inward, outward and beyond - looking at the whole picture:

What are you seeing or experiencing in the United States right now?
Is it what others are seeing and experiencing?
How might we move into relationship and dialogue?
What choices are we willing to make to listen and accept differing points of view?

Seeing the beauty beyond

Would you agree that we have a choice to slow down and see the beauty at the horizon and beyond the horizon? If so, maybe the invitation this week is to look:

Inward: at the truths and values that you hold dearly.
Outward: at the truths and values that others hold dearly.
Beyond: at conversations that honor the faithfulness of shared truths and values, provide expansive moments that broaden our horizons , and respect the stateliness of past and future growth... together!