mostly art
“Accumulated knots in the fabric of our body, previously undetected, begin to reveal themselves as we open.” Jack Kornfield
Today’s post includes a painting of a “Still Life”that I’ve been painting with acrylics, and a recent drawing. I’m also sharing some things that I’ve listened to or watched that might be of interest to people visiting this site.
A poem by Miller Williams, relevant to the topics I’ve been writing about recently that I discovered through listening to a talk:
Compassion
Have compassion for everyone you meet,
even if they don’t want it. What seems conceit,
bad manners, or cynicism is always a sign
of things no ears have heard, no eyes have seen.
You do not know what wars are going on
down there where the spirit meets the bone.
This week’s Being Well episode with Dr Rick Hanson and his son Forrest at: https://www.rickhanson.net/being-well-podcast-responding-to-criticism-and-accepting-the-way-things-are/
Their talk basically focuses on criticism and complaining. Forrest says: “Criticism is an unavoidable part of life. But even though we’re all going to be criticized from time to time, many of us spend much of our lives living in fear of criticism. Then, on the flip side, we’re all critics ourselves. We’ve all been in situations that aren’t quite what we want them to be – so we need to either do something to change them or accept them as they are.”
Some of the topics discussed are the need to be mindful about how we could respond to criticism that will come our way, and the need to be more mindful both of our own complaints and the motives or material behind others’ complaining. Forrest distinguishes between constructive or instrumental complaints and expressive complaints, He explores the different things that people might hope to accomplish by complaining, and the need to examine our own and others’ motives for complaining. Is it about expressing dissatisfaction with something, setting boundaries, expressing emotions in an indirect way, projecting our difficulties and discomfort on others, revenge or is it a strategy to network and bond with others through complaining about something or someone. They also discuss how sharing our own experience in relationships can sometimes get us further than arguing about facts and values, and how relationships where our true self and vulnerability is welcome tend to be happier. They conclude on ways to respond to negative feedback and to trolls, and how sometimes changing the size of a relationship and releasing expectations and attachment to changing others can both protect us and decrease suffering within relationships.
Finally, a French movie, Aurore / I Got Life! / 50 Φορές Άνοιξη (with Greek subtitles) at: https://www.ertflix.gr/vod/vod.196888-50-phores-anoixe-1
It’s an entertaining romantic comedy /drama with interesting parallel narratives and social commentary by French director Blandine Lenoir. The French title refers to its heroine, Aurore, but its English title is taken from the Nina Simone single, from a scene where Aurore dances to that song on her own, with her infant daughters (now grown up) joining her in her imagination.