Week Ending 24th September
Hunting and Harvesting
Mutually Joyful Encounters
Hunting and Harvesting Mutually Joyful Encounters
This is a strategy that Bijon Roy taught me. If he finds himself feeling a bit low or depressed he takes immediate action. He sets out to hunt and harvest some mutually joyful encounters. This may be as simple as phoning someone who he knows will be happy to receive a call – but more often it is physically going out of the house and heading for somewhere that he will meet people who he has never met before. He explores what he can do or say that will create a happy encounter for both parties. It may be someone waiting at a bus stop or serving behind a counter in a shop. It may be someone waiting behind him in a queue. Other ideal connection opportunities are when you go into any bus or train. You can say hello to the bus-driver and chat to the person sitting beside you in a bus or train. I like to chat to people when I am out and about in a park or hiking somewhere in the countryside. It’s not so easy to engage with people who are just walking along the pavement in town but if they have a child with them, or a dog, that can be an excellent opportunity to exchage a few friendly words and smiles.
When I pass anyone who is begging or selling the Big Issue magazine (which is a strategy to help homeless people to feel more positive and get the support they need to move their lives forward) I like to stop and talk to them. I have found that people on the fringes of society are often as ‘hungry’ for conversation, for positive social contact – as they are hungry for food or in need of our ‘spare change.’
Once you have internalised the idea of Hunting and Harvesting Mutually Joyful Encounters, you find opportunities for it almost every day. I play music in the street and love to see tired faces melt into smiles. When passers-by start to dance, it gives me a real thrill of joy. And if anyone stops and wants to talk, I take the time to listen – at least for a few minutes. It’s a great way to practise Active Listening – when you listen so closely that you could repeat back what the other person has said. In Islam, listening is likened to resting your head on the other person’s chest and letting your emotions sink into their emotions so that you share the inner feelings behind the words that they are saying. This kind of Active or Deep listening builds trust and true friendship.
We are all part of each other – and we affect each other. Consciousness is catching – and if we are strong and cheerful we can make a really positive difference. But we also need to be discerning and choose the company we keep carefully – whenever we can – choosing positive, cheerful company, because people who are in a low consciousness, who are negative and spiteful, can have a negative impact on our consciousness.
If we want to remain happy, then we need to be aware of the people we are mixing with us and of the effect that they are having on our consciousness. We may be able to ‘walk away’ but if not, then there are some visualisation-strategies we can use, to protect ourselves from anyone who may be affecting us in a negative way.
