I had no sooner closed down the computer yesterday after finishing my note to you, than I realised I had made the classic mistake: I had focused on Doing Openness, and never mentioned Being Openness.
We live in a society that is almost obsessed with doing. Unless we are active, on the move, pursuing goals and dreams, it seems to me that we are viewed as unproductive. But activity for its own sake, simply to be seen to be actively 'doing' or 'busy', can be hollow and meaningless.
What I have learnt about Being Openness
Endless activity is possible - even if it's in the exploration of 'Openness' ... Closedness'! For me, the most meaningful and rewarding actions I've undertaken have always flowed from my 'Beingness', first and foremost. So rather than chase experiences, simply to 'show off' those experiences, like a collection of sports cars, I suggest starting with Being Openness.
For me, Being Openness encompasses mental, emotional and spiritual openness. It is about our willingness to see beyond the limits of our own thoughts, beyond the barriers and walls that we create, and becoming open to understanding how others understand their lives and the world around them.
As I begin to see the world unfurl in new ways, simply through being Open to how others experience the world, it inspires within me the desire to experience the world in different ways. Activities that are prompted by this curiosity, interest or even passion, have been much richer and more nourishing than any activities I've undertaken to avoid boredom, to avoid being alone or to avoid being perceived as lazy and unproductive.
What I wish for you
I would wish for you that your Doing Openness would stem from your Being Openness. Rather than chasing experiences simply to accumulate experiences, I would encourage you to choose activities and experiences that resonate with you at a Being level first and foremost, experiences that pique your curiosity, that inspire you and that draw you towards them; such activities will always enrich and nourish your spirit, heart and mind deeply.
Even if events do not turn out as you plan, your ability to reflect on them and to make meaning from them, by Being Open to What Is, ensures they will be deeply nourishing and will have brought you the experiences that were most aligned with your soul's journey at that moment.
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