In his six talks at Harvard entitled “The Unanswered Question,” Leonard Bernstein ended the final lecture (“The Poetry of the Earth”) by saying, “I’m no longer quite sure what the question is, but I do know that the answer is yes.”
On most days, our tendency is to scan our environment, react swiftly, and take immediate action based on our perceptions of what we believe we’ve witnessed and how we think we should manage it. These automatic responses often establish the repetitive patterns of our daily lives, resulting in a sense of restlessness, a craving for control, and a scarcity of peace and joy. We speed-read every moment, scanning for fouls, errors, differences of opinion, and anything that can help affirm our biases.
Individually and collectively, especially in our Western mindset, we believe our ‘no’ radar is flawless. Without practices that prompt us to step back and observe it objectively, this radar can take control of our minds and shape the narratives we tell ourselves.
What would it look like to cultivate a ‘yes’ radar? A radar that is catholic (universal) in its understanding that our neighbor is important, our Earth is important, and how we navigate and transform these connections is of utmost importance. What if we could learn to tap into the radar that always reports back with the memo: “Everything is happening for good”? How much beauty could blossom if our radars focused on the positive flow within and around our lives, rather than fixating on resistance that breeds unhelpful narratives?
When we allocate minimal or no time for genuine observation, moments of pause, and thoughtful reflection, we are signing up to eventually become a victim of our circumstances. Yet, we have a choice. When we choose to allow ourselves to fully taste the inexplicable nuances of the universe and explore the intricate spaces uniquely curated for us and our individual stories, we enhance our ability to discover the subtle clues guiding our divine and profound journeys.
Indeed, ‘yes’ becomes our reflex to all of the unanswered questions along our paths when we make the habits of tasting and seeing a part of our daily lives.
Ashton.Gustafson 