Joking aside though, in the moments leading up to our
encounter, I had no idea that I felt non-substantive or even invisible really. So what did this meeting of eyes and a simple
greeting do, to make me feel like I had become; like I was being. What happened in that flash of a moment?
Perhaps I could illustrate the feeling of the experience
this way. Imagine a blow-up clear
plastic balloon shaped as a person. The
act of his just ‘seeing’ me felt like earth or sand was being filled into this
balloon being. And suddenly I was
becoming visible; I was actually being seen.
His greeting was the acknowledgement of my aliveness --both of the life
coursing through me and of my right to be on this earth.
On my daily walks around the neighbourhood, I see many
people who are also enjoying the day by walking. Very few people however, will choose to look
up from their musings, cell phone or Ipod.
For those who do, I will usually smile and say hello to them. The other day, I saw a heavily pregnant woman
walking on the other side of the street.
It was a blisteringly hot day. And she appeared hot and exhausted from bearing the weight of her
hugely distended belly. She was frowning
and seemed determined to exercise. As we
passed each other, from across the street I waved to her.
Realising that I was greeting her, she transformed before my
eyes. She immediately became
animated. Virtually half of her face
became a huge grin, her eyes lit up, her body movements became freer and less
burdened, and the energy she exuded suddenly became lighter and more joyful. There is something in our ability to
connect with each other in this fundamental way that is deeply meaningful to us
as human beings.
Our ability to be fully present in the moment, and to be
deeply connected to the person with whom we are sharing that moment, is how we
remind ourselves of the fact that we are living beings. When we
are acknowledged, when we are seen and not just looked at, then our sense of
worthiness and dignity is awakened. Our essential
nature is being recognized. And our
basic nature is goodness.
Learning to acknowledge our own basic goodness and worthiness
to be alive, aside from our failures and accomplishments is admittedly challenging, but it is the foundation for creating a society and world where
people can live in harmony with each other in spite of differences.
We do this first by learning to be with ourselves and to be
in the moment without judgment. We then practise growing our acceptance of self as we are and not as we’d like to be. From this place of calm inner acceptance, we become better able to be fully present to ourselves and those around us.
