159: Seeing with More of Ourselves

Latter-day Faith

We often use shortcuts in our daily interactions with people, events, and actions, simplifying what is actually far more complex. We decide this or that ahead of time, and we let that guide what we will focus on. We often label people in a certain way based upon some previous experiences with them (or descriptions given by others) and never really give them a chance to emerge in front of us as whole, experiencing, wrestling (like us) others. We see them as caricatures more than individuals, and, of course, we know many others see us the same way. How might we learn to see and experience more in all our interactions--not only with people but also groups, movements, theories, and other powerful forces?

In this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon goes solo (rather than in conversation with guests) to explore dynamics like these and how we might learn to better appreciate the full picture of all the things we encounter. The notion of "seeing with more of ourselves" is a paraphrase from a topic Cynthia Bourgealt has spoken and written about, which Dan extrapolates from and shares his own experiences in consciously trying to be more present with the "wholes" of things, drawing on input that often goes unnoticed by us as we go about our way, information that doesn't begin and end with just our cognitive faculties. He argues, following many many others who have embarked on contemplative paths, that we are part of a whole that interconnects with every particular things, whether its a person or things we find in nature. How can we allow this insight and energetic connection to be more present and poignant in each moment? What wonderful things unfold within us as we do so?

Listen in!