Smart phones and social media expand our universe. We can connect with others or collect information easier and faster than ever.
Daniel Goleman (1946–) American Author
Connecting with others
Have you tried using any of the insight and techniques for growing trust and sincerity? How did it go?
I have not tried these techniques as up until now the focus of my mindfulness has largely been on myself and not others. However, I am able to see the benefits of these practices and will use them when relevant.
Try empathic listening—how did it go?
It is fair to say that “Kiwi Blokes” are not good at talking about feelings and I found it difficult. This will be a work-on for me.
How did you find the loving kindness meditation?
Valuable. This is something that I need to do more.
Complete the political awareness exercise here in writing. The situation: Many years ago, I was Deputy Principal of a small area school. One of my roles was to organise day-relief: when a teacher is away from school, I had to find a substitute teacher to fill in for them. One teacher who was frequently absent would send his wife who was not a trained teacher in to look after his classes. Often I was not consulted about this and the first I would know of it was when his wife appeared in the staff room. The Principal who was the brother-in-law of the teacher, condoned this situation.
My Perspective: As a school administrator, I have a responsibility to our students to ensure that they are being actively taught and we need to find the best qualified person if a teacher is absent. I have concerns about the regular use of babysitting material with classes. I find it objectionable that one of my school roles is being bypassed.
The Other Person's Perspective: I am a member of several organisations and I often have to attend meetings during school time. My wife may not be a trained teacher, but she is a member of the local community and knows the students in my classes. Providing detailed relief lessons for other teachers is time consuming. It is easier for everyone if she goes and looks after my classes when I am away. The Principal is happy with this situation and we have done it for many years, long before Peter became Deputy Principal.
Any other musings?
Up until now, I have really just focused on the intrapersonal aspects of mindfulness. In my daily Headspace meditations, Andy has been talking about the effect of our mindfulness on others, but I had not thought much about it until this chapter. Also, I had not come across the idea of mirror neurons before, but this concept made a lot of sense to me.
