Event/Service Blog #3

The Jesuit principle that stresses us to unify the heart, mind, and soul was not inscribed for selfish use, but it is necessary for each individual’s personal reflection so that we can be our best possible selves and a blessing to others. We need to unify our heart, mind, and soul so that they are not dwelling in places where they become more vulnerable and tangible. If we allow our inner selves to become more tangible, then we will make ourselves vulnerable enough to be transformed by others and negative situations. For these reasons I decided to transform my weekly event/service from Bridges to meditation. 

Participating in the meditation group allowed me to incorporate an hour of uninterrupted silence and meditation into my week. During the meditation, I made my mind think about the things that I enjoy and the factors of my life that are going well so I can distract myself from the stressful weeks to come. I became in control of my feelings and emotions so that I can be less vulnerable to stress and anxiety. The practice gradually became more difficult to accomplish as pain in my legs began to develop as a result of sitting the wrong way. As my leg completely fell asleep, my focus had immediately shifted towards the pain in my leg rather than my emotions. This revealed to me that even though it can seem that we can protect our inner selves from being tangible, our exterior body is still vulnerable to change and pain. 

The next week was better and less painful as I corrected my sitting posture. I changed my reflection to my personal insecurities and anxieties that I dwell on daily. I struggle with social anxiety not because I am scared of other people, but I am more scared of the way I conduct conversations and the words I choose to utilize during communication. I had to come to terms with myself that I should not worry about the way that I communicate and that my social anxiety stems from comments made from others projecting their insecurities on the way I think and speak. It is pretty difficult to understand that I do stand out from others and that I should adhere to principle of unifying my heart mind and soul so that I can make my interior self intangible to the world and other’s feelings about me. 

If we allow our inner selves to become tangible to others and negative situations, then we can not flourish and we will dismember ourselves from our heart, mind, and soul.