Doing No Harm
'Do no harm' is a well-known tenant of Eastern philosophy, but I hadn't thought about the deeper implications of this piece of advice till I came across this thought provoking quote by Thomas Merton:
"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times."
A powerful statement if there ever was one! I never really considered the pressure to 'be all things to all people' a sort of violence, but it makes sense. I suppose we get so used to assuming these burdens that we stop questioning whether and to what degree they are really ours to assume.
Do we not also have a responsibility to ourselves, to create a sane existence for ourselves which would negate the surrender to excessive commitments and projects?
I don't think it is a coincidence that we find ourselves relating to others, with a certain degree of pride, how very busy we are, which, by extension, we may believe is evidence of how important we are as well.
But whose values are at work here? Who in their right mind would sanction a world in which the dominant ideology forced the bulk of the populace to threaten their own health and well-being in the name of the so-called greater good?
What sort of values place the work ethic above all other ethical concerns, like genuine concern for the well-being of all?
I like to be engaged in meaningful endeavours that remunerate me, that allow me to live a reasonably comfortable existence, but I also value down-time. I make sure that there are large, unstructured gaps in my life where there is no agenda, where whatever needs to happen happens. This may be a time to read, or write, or meditate, go for a walk...anything really, but it is free-form, spontaneous.
Doing nothing, being lazy in the best sense, is as necessary for a sane and healthy life as engagement in meaningful forms of work.
If we are truly to do no harm we need to look deeply and sincerely into what it means to take real care, to treat our lives as though our optimal functioning and happiness were not a luxury, but a necessity.
When we don't say no, when we fail to draw appropriate boundaries for fear of disappointing or incurring the resentment and anger of others, we run the risk of opening the door to all kinds of mental and emotional violations with pernicious physical ramifications.
Taking responsibility for our lives is important, reaching out to be of service to others is also important, but this must not turn into 'being all things to all people.'
If we believe in being good custodians of body mind and soul, we will need to practice saying 'no'.
Remember, always move in directions that radiate psychological warmth and a sense of ease.
Do no harm.
"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times."
A powerful statement if there ever was one! I never really considered the pressure to 'be all things to all people' a sort of violence, but it makes sense. I suppose we get so used to assuming these burdens that we stop questioning whether and to what degree they are really ours to assume.
Do we not also have a responsibility to ourselves, to create a sane existence for ourselves which would negate the surrender to excessive commitments and projects?
I don't think it is a coincidence that we find ourselves relating to others, with a certain degree of pride, how very busy we are, which, by extension, we may believe is evidence of how important we are as well.
But whose values are at work here? Who in their right mind would sanction a world in which the dominant ideology forced the bulk of the populace to threaten their own health and well-being in the name of the so-called greater good?
What sort of values place the work ethic above all other ethical concerns, like genuine concern for the well-being of all?
I like to be engaged in meaningful endeavours that remunerate me, that allow me to live a reasonably comfortable existence, but I also value down-time. I make sure that there are large, unstructured gaps in my life where there is no agenda, where whatever needs to happen happens. This may be a time to read, or write, or meditate, go for a walk...anything really, but it is free-form, spontaneous.
Doing nothing, being lazy in the best sense, is as necessary for a sane and healthy life as engagement in meaningful forms of work.
If we are truly to do no harm we need to look deeply and sincerely into what it means to take real care, to treat our lives as though our optimal functioning and happiness were not a luxury, but a necessity.
When we don't say no, when we fail to draw appropriate boundaries for fear of disappointing or incurring the resentment and anger of others, we run the risk of opening the door to all kinds of mental and emotional violations with pernicious physical ramifications.
Taking responsibility for our lives is important, reaching out to be of service to others is also important, but this must not turn into 'being all things to all people.'
If we believe in being good custodians of body mind and soul, we will need to practice saying 'no'.
Remember, always move in directions that radiate psychological warmth and a sense of ease.
Do no harm.