Who are we without this delicate strength? Is anything we achieve without tenderness really worthit? Be tender to yourself, especially when you screw up. Practice Metta on yourself: because people who are un-tender with other people are always hardest of all on themselves. As Michael Ondaatje says, “To rest was to receive all aspects of […]
Listening
The word listen contains the same letters as the world silent. I’ve spent a lot of time recently working on my listening. If I really listen, I find I often don’t have to ask that noisy question that was buzzing round my mouth demanding to be let out, because they explain the to me even […]
Language
Non Government Organisations (NGOs) are buggers for using jargon: blue-sky thinking: pushing the envelope: gaining traction: cascading information: surge capacity – and my all-time favourite howler, “reaching out!” Jargon is closed codes that shut others out for no good reason apart from the power of exclusion: it’s not clever, just snooty. I think simple clear […]
Alone-ness
Sometimes the best cure for loneliness is to spend time on your own: think about this one. How much time do you actually spend alone, without craning your face into your phone? Two books I read that sang about alone-ness and are so different they uttterly compliment each other – Sylvain Tessons Consolations of the […]