Prioritize Connection

In my last post, I wrote about clarifying my intentions for 2025. I began with “Practice the Bodhisattva Vows”. (please see below for a further explanation)

https://jackgreenman.substack.com/p/new-year-refreshed-intentions

The title of today’s post is my second intention: prioritize connection.

This is a very simple intention compared to the first one - though it’s still aspirational! And it’s also deeply related to the Bodhisattva Vows.

Can I actually see and hear the person or people in front of me? Can I direct my attention to them and what they’re experiencing and saying? Can I be comfortable in silence with another human being? Can I put down my phone for 5 minutes and listen?

I find that other people are beautiful, ugly, messy, out-of-control, wise, delusional, funny, boring, intoxicating, a gift, and a problem - all rolled into one! I experience them as a comfort and an inspiration - but also as a big, messy, chaotic presence in my life that I need distance from. So, to be completely frank, I sometimes don’t listen fully if I have to be with them and find ways to distract myself with more curated content - books, music, my own inner musings, and yes, my phone.

I’m inspired to follow this intention by the experience I’m gifted with almost every week: 30 minutes of meditation practice in our sangha (or practice community). Miraculously, after sitting in silence with a group for a half hour, connection is deepened and support is readily apparent. And the conversations that arise afterwards are always nurturing, kind, and full of depth and humor.

I’m interested to see what can be nurtured with people outside of this context, in the moment, in the wider world. In other words, what does it look like to take an awareness from formal meditation practice to the street? How might my encounters with acquaintances and strangers shift? If I allow myself to connect with others more frequently, how might that nurture an experience of groundedness in the life unfolding in front of me? How might a stronger connection to others protect me in the days to come?

I’m hoping that prioritizing connection in 2025 will offer me some insight and also be of service to those I meet along the way!