I went to the Royal Pub tonight, expecting to dance to some reggae music, but instead I did my Radiant Mind assignment - Project 5.The original instructions were to go to a cafe (I think a pub is a suitable alternative), order a drink, and leave the moment after I need to leave.
Here are the instructions for the exercise (with minor edits in italics to fit the scene).
THE INSTRUCTION
Go to a pub and with a jar of muscle recovery drink. Stay in the pub until you don’t need to leave, then leave. In other words, don’t leave if you need to leave. But leave the moment you don’t need to leave. This practice is known in Taoism as wei wu wei, or acting when there’s no need to act.
Once you have completed this exercise, go on to answer the following questions.1. What happened for you in doing this exercise? Write a brief report.
I sat alone at a candle lit table in front of the stage. A man (who greeted me with a deep bow outside) danced through my gaze. My eyes darted to avoid his gaze and I focused on something safe; the singer, her presence subtle, she felt the space.
I watched my thoughts, witnessed the witness. I determined that my witness needed fitness, and exercised presence. My eyes met his. I scanned his tattooed face, his posture and tried to read his lips. Was he talking to me? He moved behind me, still conversing. Is he talking to himself? Ahh, perhaps he's mentally disabled...do schizophrenics talk to themselves?
I observed my thoughts.
How quickly I judge, I packaged him in a box, label and all. This reminds me of Eckhart Tolle's story about the woman on the bus...I wonder what people are thinking about me. If I had no verbal filter, and they could hear my thoughts, they might see that I'm not as relaxed as I posture.
I stretched my back in an attempt to free myself from intense discomfort.
He moved into the center of my gaze, arms flapping. Our eyes met, he winked and made the "cuckoo" sign (his finger twirled at the side of his head). I wasn't too sure what to make of this, not sure whom he was referring to. I asserted my gaze & felt my expression harden. Using my eyes I escorted him out of my safety-bubble.
I felt threatened. Not uncommon for me, especially when I'm out alone at night. I have a theory about small animals, of which I am one, when faced with imposing predators (most people over 5'8) determine the best course of defensive action in the unfortunate event of an attack. A quick glance is usually enough to deem the level of threat - bone size is a reliable indicator, look toward the wrist.
I don't think it's necessary to describe escape tactics at this point...Let's just say, I wanted to leave but I stayed. This was a slight variation on the instruction "don’t leave if you need to leave".
Did I need to leave? At multiple points I was uncomfortable to the point of really wanting to leave. I don't know if I ever needed to leave, but after an hour of toying with the notion I packed my jar back into my jacket and strolled home to finish my homework.
2. How much of what happened really happened? How much of what you’ve just described is your interpretation? What really did happen?
Hmm...under different circumstances, I might have interpreted tonight's events very differently. And I imagine that someone else might have a very different account of the evening's events. What really happened? This account is much less exciting...I arrived man danced and spoke. I sat. I watched them and my senses. I analyzed the thoughts in my mind.
