“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.”—Aldous Huxley
When
we look at the world, there is always a reflection of our Heartspace peering
back at us. In seeing tranquility, chaos, abundance, poverty, joy, or
destitution, our own personal well-being is looking at us. The way we see our
Heartspace determines how we engage within ourselves and throughout our world.
perceptions of Heartspace are informed by many factors, including our
experience, culture, education, spirituality, and economics. Our understanding
of all that information can change instantaneously though, when we change our
perception. The first step to changing how we engage is to understand how we
perceive engagement.
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| There are five Perceptions of Heartspace. |
Apathy toward Heartspace
Thefirst perception is apathy toward Heartspace. Apathy
happens when we consciously or unconsciously choose to be indifferent towards
Heartspace. We choose not to see how we are engaged within ourselves or in the
world. Apathy responds to apathy, and the ways we connect with the world are
shown towards us.
After apathy is a completely top-down perception of Heartspace that is called pity. Viewing engagement pitifully
actively places us in a position of complete superiority over others, and over
ourselves. Pity incapacitates compassion. It positions experiences around us
and within us as being completely incapable of providing for us. By positioning
ourselves in absolute authority, pity extinguishes our humility and self-graciousness.
Our personal sense of agency and purpose is actually diminished when we see
Heartspace with pity. Ultimately, pity is dehumanizing.
Sympathy for Heartspace
Perceiving our Heartspace with sympathy
can be alluring. It allows us to give others what they apparently cannot
acquire for themselves, and to do that with charity. However, we cannot give to
others what we cannot give to ourselves, whether it is love, abundance,
well-being, or trust. Sympathy actually disengages us from actively cultivating
what we need for ourselves. It singularly positions us to give to outside of
ourselves without acknowledging we are receiving anything in return.
Empathy with Heartspace
Perceptions of Heartspace take a completely positive turn when empathy is the
lens we look through. Reciprocity is the key to establishing empathy within and
outside of ourselves. Empathy allows us to see ourselves in a more just way by
identifying that we receive and give in equal measure, all of the time. We
acknowledge our Heartspace as the ultimate guide in life, allowing us to become
authentically invested in the others. If an empathetic
perception of
Heartspace were drawn, it would show a möbius strip of infinite reciprocity
within a person.
Solidarity in Heartspace
The last perception of Heartspace that I have identified is solidarity. It is
reflected in the completely honest, completely equitable engagements a person
has within and outside themselves. Solidarity fully recognizes the benefits and
challenges in our relationship to ourselves and with others, and operates from
a place of possibilities rather than problems. It may be the most challenging
perception to maintain because it seems completely alien throughout our society
today. However, seeking solidarity towards Heartspace may be the most natural
state of all things.
Understanding These Perceptions
There are many important considerations to recognize about our perceptions of Heartspace.
One consideration is that we do not maintain one perception of Heartspace all
the time. While there are predominate perceptions, there are also exceptions to
the rule. Another important consideration is that acknowledging these
perceptions is not about “good” and “bad”; they simply are. We simply do not
operate in complete empathy towards our Heartspace all the time, and that is
not “bad” or “wrong”. Everyone cannot be expected to engage with every single experience,
person, or attitude they ever meet within or outside themselves.
Using these perceptions of Heartspace as a starting point, the challenge for us
becomes whether we can consciously, critically, and creatively reflect on our
attitudes, behaviors, and ultimately, our
perceptions towards Heartspace.
While we do this, it is our obligation to keep an eye towards further
developing our practice in order to be more reflective of our
perceptions of Heartspace. Perceptions determine engagement, and engagement is the reason for living.