Five Steps to Make this Isolation Meaningful and Beneficial To You


Five Steps to Make this Isolation Meaningful and Beneficial To You



Remember Pascal’s Law in Physics???

This morning as India is in the midst of a voluntary day curfew, my thoughts went to Pascal. For those who knew me in school, this would be a surprise. I barely managed to pass the damn subject.

But I was introduced to another aspect of this wise soul a few years ago….An astute student of the human mind. This is what he wrote about 400 years ago:

“When I have occasionally set myself to consider the different distractions of men, the pains and perils to which they expose themselves at court or in war, whence arise so many quarrels, passions, bold and often bad ventures, etc., I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber.”

Imagine that: Even four hundred years ago, a key challenge for humans was our addition to activity. Fast forward to the world we have created and live in today….

One of my teachers Alan Wallace makes this recommendation so succinctly: It is time for us all to learn how to stay quietly in our own chamber, protecting ourselves and others from contracting the virus, and making this occasion for necessary retreat as meaningful and transformative as possible towards your sustained happiness.

Here is a five step process for your consideration towards this goal:

1.     Clarify your Intentions – Are you really wanting to improve your life? If ys, then read on (and practice). If not, stop here and return when you fel like it. Going any further right now is a waste of your time.

2.     Embrace the pause – This morning a highly driven friend of mine called me twice – “I am going mad sitting at home.” Accept it. This is the reality. Now, can we actually go one step better. Ask yourself – What opportunities does this offer you?

·       For me, its provided a rare opportunity for time with my 17 year daughter…a brief window before she leaves home college in a year.  We are playing board games.
·       Caught up with long standing paper-work: Insurance, investments, filing.
·       Experimenting – Leading a webinar for the first time in a few days. Enjoying the journey to put it together.
·       Increase my frequency of meditation to twice a day.


3.     Reflect – How about taking this time to reflect on life in general and any particular aspect? I am devoting minutes to just write what is going in my head. In particular, here are some questions I focused on (in this order):

A.    What am I angry/sad/afraid/guilty about?
B.    What am I celebrating now?
C.     What am I needing now?

                 
4.     Re-energise – Once I identified my needs, I stepped into asking two important questions:

A.    What request can I make of myself?
B.    What request can I make of others?

5.     Integrate Insights – Take a few minutes to write down what you have learnt about yourself and the process. Yes, writing is key (and not just thinking about it). If you do and wish to share, I will be delighted to review and respond.

Yes, this is a challenging time. In prison, solitary confinement is a punishment. In a monastery, solitude is a luxury. It all depends on our in-depth aspirations.

May you seize this day and enjoy BEING!

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