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Three Moments
Nov. 12th, 2011 07:22 pmFrom The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have.
In truth, our aliveness depends on our ability to sustain wonder: to lengthen the moments we are truly uncovered, to be still and quiet till all the elements of the earth and all the secrets of the oceans stir the aspects of life waiting within us.
Friday: Three moments of wonder – of different kinds struck me at different times of the day.
The first one was in the morning – sort of split into two. I was teaching in South Wigston, and it being Veterans Day (Armistice Day), the morning assembly was all about remembering service men who give their lives and who protect. I found myself getting to be very emotional during the assembly, (to the point where one of the other teachers asked me if I was all right). When you look at the numbers, just from the First World War, and then think about all the wars since then and the ones still happening now… you just have to be in awe of the courage and dedication of our Service Men and Women… their selfless sacrifice – their true humanity, really. So much of it, I think, is lost to the children who really don't comprehend the enormity of it until they're much older. Then at 11am we went outside for our period of silent reflection. This was signalled from the local Territorial Army base by the firing of 2 canon blasts – the first to show the start, and the second at the end (2 minutes later). Even at a distance the canon blast was loud enough to make all the children jump, and as the rumble of it died away and the school yard fell into silence, you just had to think what it must have been like that day, when all the guns and canons fell silent after so long. The silence must literally have been deafening. The silence on the yard was just awful – and by that I mean literally, full of awe, not the way it's come to mean.
The second moment of wonder came in the afternoon, at home time… just as I was letting the children go to their mums and dads (and other friends and relatives), and realised that these were the last children I would be teaching in the UK. Wow. As things are starting to sink in a little bit more, getting used to the idea on the one hand and wondering what it's going to be like on the other, seeing those little children going home was kind of like letting go of what I'm used to. I mean, I know teaching children is teaching children is teaching children, but I ended up wondering what the children themselves will be like. Before it's all been about wondering what the place will be like, what life will be like, how I'll cope and all that – well now I've added in wondering about the teaching experience. I speculate that perhaps (and especially in a school like that) the attitude, respect and discipline will be better, but I must confess, I'm not holding my breath. Is it sad to expect young people nowadays to have no respect for elders, teachers and/or the joy of learning? Wow, what a thought.
The third moment of wonder came very late, technically on Saturday, but since I hadn't yet been to sleep I still count it as Friday – in that it was a moment of coming to realise, (or maybe to remember), what a fabulous joy book and reading are… what a wonder it can be sharing them with other people. Mir and I decided to start a group on Librarything… kind of like an online reading circle, where we can share books, and thoughts and everything else that we think and feel while reading the book. If there is anyone else out there that would like to join us, you can go here: World Reading Circle. Join in, it's all free – yes I think you need to have a librarything account, but that's free too (unless you want a paid account), and then we can all share to our hearts content. I'm looking forward to all the reading and participating in the group that I'll do; excited about it!
In one atom are found all the elements of the earth; in one motion of the mind are found all the motions of existence; in one drop of water are found all the secrets of the endless oceans; in one aspect of you are found all the aspects of life.
--Kahlil Gibran
In truth, our aliveness depends on our ability to sustain wonder: to lengthen the moments we are truly uncovered, to be still and quiet till all the elements of the earth and all the secrets of the oceans stir the aspects of life waiting within us.
Friday: Three moments of wonder – of different kinds struck me at different times of the day.
The first one was in the morning – sort of split into two. I was teaching in South Wigston, and it being Veterans Day (Armistice Day), the morning assembly was all about remembering service men who give their lives and who protect. I found myself getting to be very emotional during the assembly, (to the point where one of the other teachers asked me if I was all right). When you look at the numbers, just from the First World War, and then think about all the wars since then and the ones still happening now… you just have to be in awe of the courage and dedication of our Service Men and Women… their selfless sacrifice – their true humanity, really. So much of it, I think, is lost to the children who really don't comprehend the enormity of it until they're much older. Then at 11am we went outside for our period of silent reflection. This was signalled from the local Territorial Army base by the firing of 2 canon blasts – the first to show the start, and the second at the end (2 minutes later). Even at a distance the canon blast was loud enough to make all the children jump, and as the rumble of it died away and the school yard fell into silence, you just had to think what it must have been like that day, when all the guns and canons fell silent after so long. The silence must literally have been deafening. The silence on the yard was just awful – and by that I mean literally, full of awe, not the way it's come to mean.
The second moment of wonder came in the afternoon, at home time… just as I was letting the children go to their mums and dads (and other friends and relatives), and realised that these were the last children I would be teaching in the UK. Wow. As things are starting to sink in a little bit more, getting used to the idea on the one hand and wondering what it's going to be like on the other, seeing those little children going home was kind of like letting go of what I'm used to. I mean, I know teaching children is teaching children is teaching children, but I ended up wondering what the children themselves will be like. Before it's all been about wondering what the place will be like, what life will be like, how I'll cope and all that – well now I've added in wondering about the teaching experience. I speculate that perhaps (and especially in a school like that) the attitude, respect and discipline will be better, but I must confess, I'm not holding my breath. Is it sad to expect young people nowadays to have no respect for elders, teachers and/or the joy of learning? Wow, what a thought.
The third moment of wonder came very late, technically on Saturday, but since I hadn't yet been to sleep I still count it as Friday – in that it was a moment of coming to realise, (or maybe to remember), what a fabulous joy book and reading are… what a wonder it can be sharing them with other people. Mir and I decided to start a group on Librarything… kind of like an online reading circle, where we can share books, and thoughts and everything else that we think and feel while reading the book. If there is anyone else out there that would like to join us, you can go here: World Reading Circle. Join in, it's all free – yes I think you need to have a librarything account, but that's free too (unless you want a paid account), and then we can all share to our hearts content. I'm looking forward to all the reading and participating in the group that I'll do; excited about it!
