Institute for Zen Leadership (Page 9)

I write on the cusp of the biggest presidential election of my lifetime – and I’ve lived a long time. 

Embodiment is trending. At a time of deep divisions and discontent, the dissociations of head from heart, of talk from walk, of action from a felt sense of its consequences, are wholly inadequate for dealing with the wicked issues we face. So it’s not surprising that an antidote is resonating in the Zeitgeist, what many herald as an emerging stage of human development in which the clever head re-integrates with the deep wisdom of the body. Embodied leadership is showing the way.

Wait, does the word “radicalized” scare you? It scared me the first time I used it. But it freed me, too. It freed me to be more ambitious about what I want from police, the legal system, and myself. 

From a global pandemic, to rising racism, division, tempers and temperatures, it’s easy to get triggered in this time by a sense of urgency or helplessness, anxiety or depression. Yet there is a way to lead into this time, making the difference that is ours to make. That way, grounded in the 1500-year tradition of physical Zen training moves us beyond a struggling self, where we can be in a mess without being a mess.

Without so much of the ‘usual’ noise to distract us, many blindspots have been obliterated. What can we now see clearly? What truths about ourselves and our world have we met eyeball to eyeball? And what do we do now?

It’s one of the most asked questions of these Covid-upset, wildly divisive and turbulent times: How are you? Often we give and receive fairly superficial answers to this question. Recently, I’ve noticed a lot more people struggling with how they are or feeling conflicted in how they answer. 

It is a frightening time for many with not only a deadly virus spreading around the globe, but also, leaders who openly flaunt human rights and democracy, with nothing served but their own self-interests. So where is the hope and where are all the great leaders?

Since March 13, I’ve talked with hundreds of leaders about how they’re doing, and their responsibility to stay in the “upper right corner.” The upper right hand corner is the place where people experience calm, centered attention because they have a sense of perspective and control (see image). It’s the opposite of the lower left hand corner …

With a little help from Ginny and Gordon, I realised my last blog post (pondering on thought vs action) was rooted in a personal dilemma – I needed to make a giant leap but my concerns over financial security were holding me back. Actually, it was worse than that.