Day 205 – Rolf speaks of our process to find connectedness in our world of separations in this day’s reading. In two excellent examples, Rolf shows us how humity connects with the external and identifies with the ideas that shape our society. These ideas are not who we are, but our understanding of who we all are together.
For instance, Rolf cites France as a country that struggles with past wrongdoings. At this macrocosm level, we can see that our country, too, suffers and cannot come to grips with the idea of slavery being terribly wrong, nor can it collectively issue an apology. As Rolf explains, to do so would overturn our preconceived notions of what America is and “therby unalterably change…[our] understanding” of ourselves.
On a microcosm level, Rolf shows us how “the emptiness of all this striving [on the mat] to control relaity stems from the eptiness of our vision of who we are.” Indeed, both in yoga class (and other venues), “we bask in the glory of a good day, are crushed by the ignominy of a bad one.” Simply put, our time on the mat, Rolf continues, writing that “our reactions, our fears and desires are opportunities to find out who we are and who we are not.” And, yes, it is a long journey.
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