Taking in the Good for the Greater Good
Hello loves,
About fifteen years ago my life was significantly impacted by Buddha's Brain, a book by the neuroscientist Rick Hansen. At the time, modern science was finally catching up to what wisdom traditions have known for thousands of years:
Our brains are malleable, and conscious practices can transform our non-conscious brain functions in significant, positive, and lasting ways. In other words, we have the ability to change our automatic responses to the world around us!
I was, as ever, trying to uncover the mystery of how our society and species could evolve into one that cared for the wellbeing of all, and I was hungry to learn practices that could help us grow into balanced, mutually supportive individuals and communities. Taking in the good has been one of my primo practices in that wider endeavor ever since, and I am here to report that it no longer requires much conscious effort at all.
But , like learning an instrument, it really does take some intentional practice to orient ourselves toward the goodness in our lives. As Hansen teaches, human brains are like "Velcro for the bad, and Teflon for the good."
After all, we are still here four million years after Lucy took her first upright steps in part because our ancestors were really good at responding to threats when they arose, and that capacity is with us today. We can feel it as the adrenaline surge that courses through our bodies and makes us want to run away, fight, collapse, dissociate, or do just about anything to make it all better.
While they were excellent at noticing real and perceived dangers, our ancestors did not have to be vigilant about taking in the good because things that feel good requires no active response to maintain life and limb. That legacy lives on in the fleeting nature of comfort, pleasure, and happiness.
Maybe the Velcro/Teflon part of our nature was fine before modern civilization and its ongoing barrage of threatening stimuli were the norm, but it's not okay any more. There's so much going on in the world and in our lives, so many opportunities for our nervous systems to be flooded with stress and anxiety and fear, and yet so few opportunities to productively respond to the biggest problems that plague us. And when all that activated energy gets stuck in us, it's no good for our bodies, minds, or spirits.
But there is hope, loves. Among other things, we can bring some balance into our beings by taking in the good so much that we become like Velcro for goodness. With consistent practice, noticing even the smallest moments of joy, ease, or kindness can become our default orientation to the world. And when it is, our nervous systems are soothed, our cortisol levels go down, and our sense of wellbeing expands in all directions.
When we're balanced in this way, it's much easier to handle the stressors that come into our lives, and much harder to be manipulated by power holders who benefit from our distress. When our nervous systems aren't in constant alert mode, we are more capable of developing resilient communities based on kindness, care, and shared delights.
So my dears, taking in the good isn't just about feeling better. It how we claim our true source of power. It's how we serve the world.
In love and community, xo Bex
