Spring Retreat: May 30-June 1 - Register now for Early Bird Discount!
You may have opened this thinking, “Why is a mindfulness organization talking about doom? Shouldn’t Calmer Choice be offering a message of hope?” Fair question.
A few days ago, I was listening to Ezra Klein talking about doom on his podcast. Klein defined doom as the belief that we know how things are going to go. This caught my attention. Because what I heard in this definition was another, deeper message: The world you are fearing may be more linked to your own beliefs and assumptions of what is about to happen rather than grounded in a certainty of what will actually happen. So, my perception might have a lot more power than I'd thought. But it got better. Klein went on to say:
The opposite of doom is not hope. The opposite of doom is curiosity.
Curiosity. Curiosity?!? Wait just a minute here... does this mean that I can quite literally vanquish an overwhelming sense of impending doom with a mere spirit of inquiry? Sure could, apparently.
To elevate curiosity is not in any way to diminish the very real dissatisfaction, distress, and fear that we all experience from time to time. To pursue the opposite of doom does not translate to a dismissal of the world's social, economic, political or ecological suffering. Instead, it is an act of radical commitment to move us towards the realization of a more beautiful future that we know to be possible. It is a renewed investment in all the capacities, skill sets, and forms of resiliency that we need to navigate challenging times.
In short, I believe that curiosity is the muscle animating our human experience; and mindfulness is the practice that can help us grow this muscle.
If we are able to open to the possibility of not knowing what the future may hold, we not only allow for the potential of being pleasantly surprised - we also change our experience of the present moment into one that is less constricted by fear and apprehension. To practice and uphold curiosity is to reclaim awe and joy as the center of our lived experience.
Yes, doom is a crushing pressure. But I see curiosity as a viable pathway towards release. Let's walk there together.
Calmer Choice is here to offer mindfulness to individuals, classrooms, and communities across Cape Cod to build our collective ability to feel grounded, capable and truly curious about what is possible. Get in touch.
In the meantime, we look forward to practicing with you.
Sarah Manion is the Executive Director of Calmer Choice, a local nonprofit founded in 2010 to serve children and those who support them on Cape Cod and surrounding regions with evidence-based mindfulness education, training, and mentorship to build resilience, foster compassion and nurture the wellbeing of all people and communities. They are offering a Spring Weekend Mindfulness Retreat May 30th - June 1st. Registration is now open. All are welcome.