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SEEING AND NOT SEEING
by Anthony de Mello, from The Way to Love
You see persons and things not as they are but as you are. If you wish to see them as they are you must attend to your attachments and the fears that your attachments generate. Because when you look at life it is these attachments and fears that will decide what you will notice and what you block out. Whatever you notice then commands your attention. And since your looking has been selective you have an illusory version of the things and people around you. The more you live with this distorted version the more you become convinced that it is the only true picture of the world because your attachments and fears continue to process incoming data in a way that will reinforce your picture.
Capacity Crowd Enjoys Fall Diocesan Youth Conference
(It is so fun to hear back from groups! Here is a clip from a news letter from an Episcopal group in the Indianapolis area. Nathan Griner, as in my son, was the fantastic music leader!)
100 Junior and Senior high youth and their adult leaders enjoyed worship, music, discussion/reflection times, fun, and learning activities at the annual diocesan youth conference November 19-21. It was the first time in recent memory the event was filled to capacity.
Youth participant Will Burton-Edwards said, “I thought Fall Conference went incredibly well. The food was excellent (as always at Waycross!), and it was great to see some of my friends again. The music was fantastic, too.” Another participant, Payton Drake, said. “It was a lot of fun. I liked that it was about relationships and God instead of just God. I thought it gave us more to think about. I loved Lyle as a leader—he was awesome. We need to have him more!” Participant Jaki Anderson said, “This was the fifth conference/retreat I’ve had the pleasure of leading, and the seventh I have participated in overall. I always come away feeling better, stronger–and I’m always ready for the next one to begin!
Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
100 youth plus adults gathered at WayCross camp and Retreat center entering into some challenging ways to think about relationships as ministry. Extra fun for me was that Nathan Griner, my son, joined me as the musician for the weekend.
As an education major I do have the wonderful memory of the day our professor lectured all the facts and studies on why lecturing is the least effective way to communicate. I sat listening, astounded that he was lecturing on reasons not to lecture.
A number of kids at WayCross understood also. They were involved in games, demonstrations, interviews, small groups, one on one discussions, memory techniques and more. Speaking only highlighted what they were learning from each other. Kids said they appreciated that they did not have to just listen. At the same time, it meant there was a lot of concentrated work, some of requiring a lot of emotional energy.
My hope is always that as participants go home there are real skill that will be used in real life. It always seems to be the tug of that still small voice that suggests, “You should say hello to that person.” It isn’t long before people discover that even the simplest human interactions are really about God.