#536 Between Destructive Activity & Passivity - Nurturing Engagement

     Don't we often assume that to get anything accomplished we must bulldoze our way through obstacles, be they things or people? We have the idea that force and "collateral damage" are inevitable and necessary components of getting the job done, of reaching goals. So we assume it's a choice between destructive action - OR - useless passivity through which nothing is achieved.
     Between these two unhelpful extremes - both of which are very hard on everyone involved - is the more reasonable middle way. Neither violent action nor inactivity, but intelligent nurturing provides all the necessary ingredients for beneficial things to happen. A gardening analogy is useful: neither impatiently ripping out the carrots before they're ripe, nor ignoring them helps. What helps is intelligent nurturing - ensuring the carrots receive all the light, water & fertilizer they require.
     Mindfulness meditation trains us for such nurturing engagement - appropriate, helpful action - in our moment-to-moment life.

Quang Tran, National Geographic   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com