Rooting

Over the last month I have been meditating on the idea of “rooting”. I am not really sure how I would even define this word in the context in which I use it. To me, being a rooted individual is to be both strong and flexible.  To be grounded in the things that I believe but still being able to adjust and laugh at myself. It is sort of a delicate balance.

I have never been a very rooted person. I am often flighty, easily swayed by others emotions, and shy away from long term commitments for fear of making a wrong decision. This means that I rarely can accomplish something to its fullest and I rarely have friends that are deeply bound to me.

Because of my training as an actor I am able to detect this lack of rooting psychologically and become aware of how it manifests physically.  For instance, people are often lead throughout their day by a certain part of them. Some people have their knees as the part that leads them places while others have their pelvis. I am often lead around by my head and my chest (heart) while my feet and my lower body is consequently left trying to keep up. Everywhere I go I am emotionally and mentally engaged but other parts of me just are left along for the ride.

I feel like this is very symbolic of my detachment from that natural world. When I walk my mind is so full of ideas that I neglect the world around me. I do not soak in the sounds of life about me nor do I take in the sensations that could comfort me.  I simply disengage.

Those who practice yoga know the importance of grounding oneself. For perfect balance an individual must focus on what all parts of the body are doing. Even simple yoga poses can bring awareness to the feeling of the earth underneath us.  

I think one of the most beautiful examples of the importance of rooting comes from the story of the Buddha. It is said that when the Buddha was tempted by the forces evil he sat underneath a tree and remained calm. He promised to help all living and sentient beings break from the cycle of suffering.  When the evil one wanted to know who was his witness, the Buddha simply reached down and touched the earth.  Suddenly there was an earthquake and the forces of evil fled.

How beautiful to think that the earth would be our witness; to support us and care for us. We as a culture have moved far from the earth. We do not work so closely with it. We become caught up in more consuming things and before we know it we have lost our sense of self.

In effort to root myself I become more self aware and more focused on things that truly matter. I do not let little inconveniences upset me.  I forgive others more easily and I become less vulnerable. But with all things, this process takes time and patience.  I just keep working at it. I do the best I can.

Namaste.

CCosner

Mt. Adams

This past summer I got this wild and crazy idea that I really want to climb Mt. Adams. It is very prominent mountain in valley near where I grew up. It is a rather beautiful mountain. The best time to climb it is in August. The snow pack is the lightest then and hopefully by that time I will have trained enough to do it. The elevation of the mountain is 12,281 feet. Not huge but nothing to scoff at. In my dream world I would be up in the Wallowa Moutains every weekend hiking around to train for it. Unfortunately, my school work prevents me from doing that. Lucky enough for me though, my parents own a regular wilderness complete with steep hills and impossible rocks. The only thing that currently stands in my way from doing this however is the fact that the person I would like to go with has not contacted me. I hope that will change. Overall I just spend time dreaming about summer already. I know, its only November. Ulg.

Better

Sometimes I feel like the world is passing me by. It is kind of a lonely thought. Sometimes I don't like school. The classes that I had been excited about are difficult and not worth it. The people are either lazy or cruel. Sometimes I am unsure as to what I am accomplishing here. It is disheartening.

Sometimes I listen to a band called Sigur Ros and they make it better. Today is icy and gray here. It is hollow.

Things will get better.

Learning...outside of class

I would like to start by saying that I am by nature very stickler about my grades. Always labeled the overachiever and the know-it-all my entire life I now have pulled a 3.89 in college. My grades have fed me, payed my rent, and given me something to always work toward. The benefit of being a hardworking student is the scholarships you receive as a result.

But unfortunately one would argue that the scope of the classroom and a GPA is very limited and I agree with this. In class you are learning about a very narrow topic, such as art history or how to master creative writing. I am not even sure if half of the things that I learn in my classes will be useful for much besides cocktail parties and early morning radio trivia.

There is no life GPA. There is no one grading you everyday. "You helped the little old lady cross the street, A+!" I wish. There is no space on a job application or a resume for "street smarts". In fact you could be one of the most intelligent people out there but if you cannot regurgitate in a classroom than you might as well call it quits.

That is the sad reality of our education system. Pay thousands of dollars a year to prove you are capable of following directions and listening. It seems to me that you actually learn more from the professors themselves than their curriculum. You learn more in the dorms than you do in the classroom. You learn more off campus than on.

I love to learn. But my grades slip because I cannot regurgitate information. I can apply it. Frankly I wish that GPA was based on that application rather than on what facts you can put on a test. But I cannot escape the system as it is so I endeavor to learn outside the classroom, teach myself what I need to know. It boils down to making your own way in this world, not simply repeating the actions and facts that have been repeated to you.

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