Posts
Parker Palmer: Know Yourself, Change Your World by Sarah van Gelder — YES! Magazine
"Why do bankers make unethical investments, and what makes teachers burn out after a year on the job? Acclaimed educator and author Parker J. Palmer says most of us lack an understanding of our inner lives. If we learned in school how to navigate the inner landscapes of our lives, we might gain the tools to make it through difficult times, and clarify and act on our deepest values. Palmer is the author of A Hidden Wholeness, Let Your Life Speak, and The Courage to Teach, and a founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal."
"Institutions are projections of our own inner lives. Yes, they appear to have superhuman powers. But we can call them back to some semblance of humanity by reinventing them, because we invented them in the first place."
"Engaging the inner life also makes for a more ethical professional practice. As we look around the professions today—not least in the world of business and accounting—we see why we need people who have an examined inner life to strengthen the ethics of those professions."
I think the concept Parker Palmer talks about is very important, especially in our evolving society. I think it is essential that individuals work on getting in touch with themselves so that the things that they do are authentic and positively motivated. I think work that is not authentic, which does not come from the heart, can be corrupt and unhelpful to society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Parker Palmer's idea that the problem is not being in touch with our inner lives. I also think that it is an issue of balance. Balancing our external lives with our inner lives. That with the understanding of our inner lives we can look at issues from all angles and perspectives. Without being in check with ourselves and our values we cannot create balance between the two.
ReplyDeleteI see a theme of exteroception/interoception here again. Living a life that reflects our most inner desires, beliefs, and values is essentially manifesting our relationship to ourselves interoceptively. Illustrating our inner awareness to the outer world is doing and sharing something that you love and hold dear. We must use our exteroceptive abilities as a lens to expose and project or interoceptive life.
ReplyDeleteEverything is a reflection
ReplyDelete