Thoughts On The Year Ahead
Let's See What Happens
Dear Friend
I thought maybe, since I wrote two letters in one day, that I should take one day where I don’t visit here. But then I sat down and wrote anyway. Just to see what happens. It’s not as if I need a break from writing to you. I like it. It’s fun. Somehow it brings on a nice feeling.
That nice feeling, when the heart opens, when we feel connection.
I thought to share a little more background detail on the concept for the Lost & Found Dept.
Chiara got us tickets to see the performance artist Marina Abromovic’s exhibition on New Years Eve at the Royal College of Art in London. The exhibition starts with a retrospective of “The Artist is Present”. A work she performed for 3 months at The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA in New York in 2010.
I remember the news stories at the time of the original event and got what she was doing. She was sitting in silence at a table and visitors were sitting opposite, looking into her eyes. I was up to the visitor to break eye contact, the artist being simply present. In a world where human connection is manipulated. An ancient strategy of divide and rule. To experience deep connection, to be fully present in the here and now, with another human, can be a moving experience. People queued for hours to sit with the artist.
From then on the exhibition just got better and better, for me, but that work from 2010 was lovely to see. The power of presence. Just being present. When our environment doesn’t meet or needs, or if we are not at peace in our environment, it’s hard to be present. Our awareness flits off into the tangled show playing in our mind.
Essentially Marina realised she was meditating. She was training herself to be present. That’s a powerful thing. They say showing up is 80% of the work. What if it were the work?
After the show over dinner at home, the realisation that I wanted to write came through and it felt right to start a new year by building a new habit. Habits are built through committing to doing something, in this case writing, until it becomes a habit.
The idea is to be present, here every day. For one year.
I can see two habits worth working on. Things that contribute to peace and healing, and things that support physical wellbeing. Pretty broad interconnected categories.
My false self has spent the best part of today trying to convince me that I’ve said all I possibly say could over the first week of the Substack, so better find ways of back tracking now.
Well, good to know who’s taking up the airwaves.
The highest aspiration of a human has to be, it seems to me, a desire to become peaceful. To integrate all of the different parts of oneself and become more self accepting and accepting of others.
Kind.
Just because that’s obvious to me doesn’t mean everyone thinks that way.
Why choose peace as a goal?
Well, for one thing it’s a proper challenge. Climbing mount Everest in a state fuelled by anger hatred and fear might not be the best way to reach the summit with your party in one piece.
Being peaceful doesn’t mean being a walk over.
I was fresh in my thirties. In a stressful job that I didn’t like so much, but it paid well enough I could join a local Kung Fu Academy. There were a few things that stood out for me during my brief time there. One evening I was getting slapped around the face more than I was happy about, by a fellow student who was superior in skill, speed, strength and technique.
I started to loose consciousness as I became angrier and angrier. It was like being taken over. The anger was controlling me. I was striking back, seeking revenge. My technique began to falter and I lost more ground in the sparring session.
The instructor corrected me. Brought it to my conscious attention. I was acting from anger. My sparring partner was unmoved. He helped me come back into the present moment.
I relaxed into the sparring even though nothing outwardly had changed. I still took a beating. My technique had improved though. In my next fight I felt so much more at peace and in the flow of things.
I’m not saying never express anger, just that we can’t rely on it as a way of life. Long term it’s not very efficient.
Seth Godin says that writing a daily blog is a life changing thing to do.
If it is, then my hope is that those changes are mirrored in your life too.
Marina Abromovic made a portal that shines crystallised light all around you as you walk through. The light feels warm as you pass. Like a shower of light.
Chiara and I went through it together. It was nice watching other people and how they responded to passing through the portal. All of the different body shapes and clothing. Some shy, self conscious, others playful, bemused, human.
If you get a chance to see an exhibit of her work it’s worth it.
As we pass through this portal, a new year and all of the changes it will bring I wish for us all is to stay connected to the nice feeling that comes from being present. Small things. Kindness. Things we like. Simple pleasures.
What will happen in the year to come?
Some of it will hurt. That’s life. But even when we hurt we can make each other laugh. Sometimes that’s all you need. We’ve all lost in life. People, animals, health. We’ve lost emotionally, we loose material stuff. Things break.
It’s not helpful to deny that the dark night comes. Just to see the stars shining. Countless suns. The light of the sun reflecting off the moon.
Sharing that with you.
That’s magic for me.
Something worth showing up for.
Writing everyday.
For a year.
Till tomorrow
Love
Mikey