![\"26063343231_5c21e9b69b_z\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/758\/2017\/05\/26063343231_5c21e9b69b_z.jpg\")
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We may\u00a0think people drawn to monastic life are trying to escape from the real world. People assume living in a monastic community is like going on a particularly long retreat. They believe\u00a0becoming a monk requires\u00a0being cut off from\u00a0the rest of the world.<\/p>\n
In many ways it is the rest of us, with our distractions and entertainment, who try to escape real life.<\/p>\n
Spending time at a monastery feels so peaceful, so restful. Those of us who live here in the real world go to monastic communities to reflect. Rest and reflection are necessary aspects of healthy life in a monastic community.<\/p>\n
Monastic life gives\u00a0people opportunities to look real life in the face. Our life\u00a0outside the monastery is full\u00a0of things to\u00a0distract our attention. We need to know all the latest news, even when it has little to do with our own lives. There are websites and books, podcasts and movies,\u00a0even our pets pull us away. It is a challenge for us to listen and pay attention.<\/p>\n
How rarely we take the time to look our lives in the eye. We are anxious about being honest with ourselves. Our anxiety encourages us to find other things to fill our minds.<\/p>\n
We are cannot\u00a0be honest with the world around us if we cannot be honest with ourselves.<\/p>\n
When we do\u00a0not look the world honestly in the eye it seeps in through the back door. It catches us off guard when\u00a0we are not really paying attention.<\/p>\n
Each of us needs time to reflect, to allow our minds to roam. As we reflect, all the things we have pushed to the back burner remind us they are still there. Monastic communities are excellent places to spend time in stillness, reflecting.<\/p>\n
When they do not take time for\u00a0rest and reflection, leaders tend to burn themselves out.<\/p>\n
We tend to put too much trust in analytical, rational thinking. It is as if we believe we can reason our way out of any challenge. We know\u00a0we can, with enough effort, think our way through any question.<\/p>\n
Sitting still allows us to get past our intellects and hear our intuition, our feelings. We come to realize answering the question is not the solution to our difficulties.<\/p>\n
In our stillness we can remember what we already know.<\/p>\n
My favorite way to spend time in stillness is sitting in a rocking chair. The rhythm of my rocking is conducing to my own reflection.<\/p>\n
Stillness allows us to hear our\u00a0own reflection.<\/p>\n
The monastic community in which I participate as a lay oblate is a on the California coast south of Monterey. This year\u2019s storms have cut access to the hermitage off from the rest of the world. Highway 1 is closed both north and south of Big Sur, and the driveway was washed out.<\/p>\n
My annual August trip to the hermitage is in jeopardy this year. The monks have not been able to welcome visitors since February. No one knows when that will change.<\/p>\n
People can see photos and help\u00a0the hermitage survive financially at New Camaldoli<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n In addition to concern for the hermitage and the monks in Big Sur, the situation has sparked my reflection.<\/p>\n If I am not able to drive up and spend some time in the stillness this year, what\u00a0will I do? Where will I find the stillness I usually find there?<\/p>\n Each year as my trip approaches I start to get a little itchy in anticipation. My mind, heart, and soul depend on the time I spend in stillness at the hermitage. The stillness there has a quality which is not easily replaced.<\/p>\n More than the natural beauty, the wildlife, even the monks, it is the stillness which draws me.<\/p>\n I am an outgoing, extroverted leader who is not afraid to speak in public. One of the most significant, life-changing lessons of my life is learning to lead from stillness.<\/p>\n Leadership does not grow in the spotlight, does not develop at the center of attention.<\/p>\n Our leadership is planted deep within us in\u00a0seeds which sprout in silence. We may study leadership, gaining as much information as we can. Our leadership is formed as much as it is informed.<\/p>\n We see leadership as an analytical quality, testing our ability to sort things out well. There are certainly intellectual challenges, but we also need to reflect well.<\/p>\n Most of us like to believe we think our way into the future. Spending time in stillness allows us to find the insights we need to step forward.<\/p>\n My thinking helps me anticipate potential problems. It is my reflection and stillness which shows me where to find hope and transcendence.<\/p>\n We sit, rocking and reflecting, giving the pieces an opportunity to fall into place.<\/p>\n So often we think our way into following someone else\u2019s footsteps. Our reflection shows us how to follow their example.<\/p>\n Other people may or may not listen to what we say. The stillness in us connects with the stillness in the people around us.<\/p>\n We are not drawn to stillness because we want to hide from the rest of the world. The stillness we seek gives us the time and space to reflect, to gain understanding and insight. As we listen to the stillness we begin to hear the deep truths within us.<\/p>\n Listening to stillness is not a distraction, but draws us to focus our attention. We open ourselves, forgetting what could distract us, and we transcend the world around us.<\/p>\n We savor the stillness we find and draw wisdom from it. Sitting, rocking, and reflecting, we begin to taste the insights just beyond us.<\/p>\n Where is your leadership being formed this week?<\/p>\n How does stillness help you transcend the rest of the world?<\/p>\n [Image by\u00a0tdwrsa<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p>\n Greg Richardson<\/strong> is a spiritual life mentor and leadership coach in Southern California.\u00a0He<\/span>\u00a0is a recovering attorney and university professor, and<\/span>\u00a0a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg\u2019s website is StrategicMonk.com<\/span><\/a>, and his email address is StrategicMonk@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Transcending the Rest of the World We may\u00a0think people drawn to monastic life are trying to escape from the real world. People assume living in a monastic community is like going on a particularly long retreat. They believe\u00a0becoming a monk requires\u00a0being cut off from\u00a0the rest of the world. In many ways it is the rest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2924,"featured_media":12659,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-monastic-strategies"],"yoast_head":"\nLeading from a Place of Stillness<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Transcending<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n