Ignorance is Bliss?

“Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.” ~ Ingrid Bergman

I just got back from seeing Avatar, James Cameron’s record and technologically groundbreaking film…

And I loved it, every single moment!

This is a movie for the spiritual community.  It speaks to the rights and wisdom of indigenous peoples, the power of the natural world, spiritual warriorship, the web of life that connects us all, and our ability to tap into that energetic field to both heal and grow.  It is both powerful and reverent.

One of the most important messages for me – and I promise I’m not giving anything away – is the necessity of approaching the world with beginner’s mind.

Part of the problem with being an “expert” is that often times our knowledge gets in the way of our hearing anything new; our preconceived notions blind us to seeing things as they actually are.  And worse, our attachment to being learned and skillful keeps us from being available to being taught.

I once sat for the better part of an hour watching my one year old godson remove and replace the top of a pen.  There was wonder, discovery, determination, and mastery of motor control all rolled into one.  I’m a pro with pen caps, but I never saw the process so clearly or found it as wonderous and beautiful as I did through Dash’s eyes.

A beginner’s mind – fresh, unguarded, with no ego to get in the way – is open to all the possibilities life has to offer. It can make connections and see around corners.  It thinks outside the box because it doesn’t know enough to know it’s in a box; a beginner’s mind can accomplish the impossible simply by not knowing it’s impossible.

And, really, it’s waaaaay more fun to be amazed and awed than to feel like it’s all old hat!

“You can learn new things at any time in your life if you’re willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you.” ~ Barbara Sher