On Teaching

Building a Brave Space in MSC

I was touched today upon reading this beautiful poem by Micky ScottBey Jones, and it inspired me to reflect on how we might be sure our MSC teaching spaces are places of support, encouragement, love and safety in these deeply troubling, unsettling and challenging times.

An Invitation to Brave Space

Together we will create brave space
Because there is no such thing as a “safe space”
We exist in the real world
We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world,
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,
We call each other to more truth and love
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.
We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.
We will not be perfect.
This space will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wish it to be
But
It will be our brave space together,
and
We will work on it side by side.

I have watched with pain in my heart as the terrible events of the past few weeks have amplified the echoes of far too many similar events of weeks, years and centuries past. Too many terrible acts to name but all collectively to be remembered and to be the catalyst that finally initiates a sea change toward a world where Black lives (and those of all racialized people) matter, none less than another. 

And the question becomes: how do we each find our way forward as MSC teachers in light of this? What can and should be done in our teaching? How does self-compassion help us (as well as our participants) to be strong, resilient, resolved and brave?

Each of us carries the weight of this suffering to different degrees, and because it is our constant companion, it comes with us into the MSC classroom. And there we encounter other humans who are carrying their own burdens, and together we endeavor to do something meaningful over eight weeks together, “working on it side by side” while literally engulfed in the flames of deep societal suffering. 

Moments like this, to me, mimic the private moments of despair and pain that each of us faces nearly every day when something outside of us triggers pain inside of us. The emotional trickery of those moments is that we believe we are best served by looking out at the cause rather than inward at the pain. And that, dear colleagues, is where WE must start as well. We might begin by inquiring within about how we are meeting our own suffering and biases (implicit or explicit) over racial inequality, injustice and privilege (see resource list below). But perhaps equally relevant when it comes to bringing people together and perhaps opening the door to sharing and dialogue, what struggle arises in us when we contemplate breaking the culture of “White silence” (if we are White) and speaking about race, racism and systemic oppression? 

Speaking for myself, I can feel my heartbeat quicken when I contemplate opening to issues like this, especially in my role as a teacher. I am not accustomed to speaking about such things, but something in my DNA really deeply wants to, even in the context of MSC. But as someone out of his element, I have a feeling like I am walking into an emotional minefield when I contemplate joining the conversation. Even now as I write these words, I feel a rising tide of hesitancy, doubt and fear in my gut and I ask myself “Who the hell am I to talk about this?” 

My head wants to say: “MSC isn’t about any of these things, it’s about meeting ourselves in the midst of suffering, regardless of the cause. Just stay out of the story, avoid the topic and get to the practice.”

So maybe I might comfort and soothe my aching heart and feel my unmet needs for justice, equality and fairness in the world that lead me to anger and outrage, consider beginning to look within for ways of meeting those needs through my attitude, words and deeds, and then “work on it side by side” with my participants.

Once I have touched and held my own suffering, I believe I can tenderly but bravely support others in doing the same. With the deepest of respect for the profound suffering that is held in the hearts of so many (a skill we as MSC teachers already know well), we can walk slowly, invite courageous and heartfelt sharing that can easily pivot to pregnant healing silence, and above all else, be humble. 

Can we create this kind of brave space that does not polarize but instead reminds us of our common humanity, that each of us belongs to the human family but each has our own particular experience of that belonging?

In the end, I believe the question becomes whether we can hold it all within the context of developing the resource of self-compassion in MSC? Can we not lose sight of our own practice, when we meet our particular suffering over the state of affairs in our world? Can we bravely consider the possibility that we have blind spots, biases and beliefs that are not immediately apparent to us and begin to know what we don’t know? (see resources below for some first steps) And can we find our way into our own bodies and hearts when we encounter our suffering participants? And can we together create a brave space from which action can be formulated, even if that action is no more immediate than to comfort and encourage ourselves in moments of fear and discouragement, giving ourselves the inner strength and resolve to continue looking for more that we can do when the time is right? And never ceasing in our efforts on behalf of assuring that every life matters, none more than another.

“This space will not be perfect”, but it can still be a place of bravery, healing and change, starting with one heart at a time in a moment when our collective heart is broken. There is no better time than now to be a teacher of self-compassion in a world that so obviously needs it. May you find your own way to the action that is right for you and let us all “work on it side by side.”

Just a Few Resources to Get Us Started

• “How I have Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Talking Race” a TEDx video that speaks directly to self-compassion.
• Mindfully Exploring the Meaning of Whiteness: A one-day workshop on August 15, 2020 led by MSC Teacher Sydney Spears, psychologist Tracy Ochester of the Midwest Alliance for MIndfulness, and Sami Aaron of The Resilient Activist
• The Inner Work of Racial Justice by Rhonda Magee. Rhonda’s work in this area is widely respected and very relevant to the work of teaching mindfulness and compassion.
• Anguish and Action:An initiative of the Obama foundation.
• White Awake: White Awake combats white supremacy by focusing on educational resources and spiritual practices designed to engage people who’ve been socially categorized as “white” in the creation of a just and sustainable society.