Witness

I recently read 'Art is a Spiritual Path' by Pat B Allen and well, it helped formulate some things I have been thinking.....

I don't like the whole praise thing. Not one bit. yes it is lovely to be praised but we get reliant on it. If you post a blog post, put a picture on a Ning site and no one comments, where are you left? What happens when you make something that is not pretty, is not nice, is not likeable but is completely honest, completely personal. if you have become addicted to the praise thing then it gets harder to put such things out there for view. We as a society, like to create the good, the pretty, the praise-worthy and then receive our just deserts.

No.

not right

Not healthy, not good. Life is balance, good and bad, ugly and pretty. Life is about living honestly. The book advocates a practice of witnessing. Artists share ther work and talk (or not) to a group. The group makes no response. no judgements. no comments. no noise. no facial expressions. nothing. They purely witness.

And this leaves people free, free to create and show their art honestly. Because to comment is to judge. and to not comment is to judge as well in our society. but if not commenting can be changed into a positive supportive thing....

You see, I read blogs. I often have nothing to say. I enjoyed what I saw but beyond a bland that was nice, thank you, I have nothing to say. I read a post so honest in it's pain and hurt yesterday that I had to respond but I had nothing I could write of myself as I had not been in that dark place, I had no insights, no wise words, but I wanted to let the write know I had been, I had read, I had witnessed. So I left three little words - I hear you.

The author did not post my comment, which is fine. Those words were a statement of witnessing, of solidarity, of quiet support. Know that I walk alongside you, without judgement, but I am here, sort of a thing. No need to share them with anyone else.

But i want to do this more. Let people know I have been, I have witnessed and I have left again, keeping my judgements to myself and that the person is free to be, all that they are.

But how do you do this easily and gracefully. in life, people know you are present. and I don't want like or dislike boxes either, because they are a judgement to.

I am not saying I don't want to post replies or to get them myself but I want them to be a discussion about stuff, to fill in gaps, to help others and myself understand more. I don't entirely feel happy with the pat on the head thing. Yes I love to receive it (although sometimes it is too much and can be embarassing) but the discomfort I feel in doing it tells me much much more...

What do you think?