From environmentalist John Muir:
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
This quote is from a post on Courage to Create blog encouraging us to spend more time outdoors.
Out of context, I find another meaning in it as well. Muir's thought about going out or going in reminds me that I learn more about myself by going out among people than I do in solitary contemplation.
I do find meditation tremendously valuable, for calm, for allowing ideas to emerge, and as a religious practice.
However, to learn more about myself, there's nothing like a conversation with a client, clerk, husband or friend, about what I can or can't do for them, and what I want or don't want from them, to show me who I am.
Sometimes this "going out" takes more gumption than it might seem. I think that's true for a lot of us.
If you like this post, please bookmark it on del.icio.us, share it on StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg. Thanks so much.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)