Rules for riding the subway:
Make no eye contact.
Pretend that we are not all in this together.
When you bang into someone – deny that you are not in a moving mosh pit.
What breaks all the rules:
A baby’s eyes.
Check it…
A young mother brings her 7 month old baby on at 34th Street.
The baby hasn’t learned that it’s not ok to really look at people. With bright wide eyes the bambino stares at the intricacies of people’s faces. No judgment, just curiosity and amazement.
Result:
People melt. They forget the rules. There is instant community. People dare to look at one another and make googeee faces at the baby. Everyone feels safe and connected.
Lesson:
Use your baby eyes. Your presence will shift your environment. See as if for the first time and change the world.
What I intended to write:
When you are acting, see everything around you with baby eyes. The more you can see, the more the audience can see. We must have our attention on what we are seeing, not what we look like.
Caveat: If the young mom brings an enormous perambulator on the subway only resentment will ensue.
For Today: Practice really seeing what is around you. Start by seeing in terms of lightness and darkness, texture, and color. See the person you are having a relationship with as if for the first time. When you are acting or in a business meeting see what is actually in front of you.
Moral:
You can write that below in the comment box – cus I haven’t figured that out yet.
Children are the gateway to how we are truly supposed to be in the world. Life through the eyes of a child is fresh, new and meant for exploring. Somewhere along the lines, we forget that.
This is a great day for this exercise, Josh! I’m so psyched! You are spot on about the baby eyes – as adults it’s a risk and so worth taking because of what we (and those we connect with) come away from the experience with!
laughter ist good also. Here is an amazing video of a situation in a Berlin subway – someone starts laughing and after a while everybody joins. I can’t help but giggling when I listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3LCZfMFVEI
Love this Josh! Yes! The moral? The more connected we are, the more in the present moment we live. Definitely using ‘baby eyes’ today at my zumba class… and when I look at my husband of 16 years and … well, for everything. Great reminder to see what is truly there with amazement. Because it is ALL so amazing. LOVE this. And looking forward to your DVD release!
This is great, Josh. I have always appreciated the effect of small children on subways. Totally transforms the energy. Barriers come tumbling down. And I look forward to practCing seeing through my baby eyes! Great idea.
… the moral: why surrender to playing cool? Getting in touch with each other requires courage (to us adults). But really – does it??
I love love this…..today I am gonna see with baby eyes
Excited to hear about your video! As a fan from afar I’m stoked to know that come Fall I’ll be able to check out what you offer more deeply.
Once, right after a vision quest, I went to the grocery store to restock my home with excellent food. I saw a baby there. His eyes were sky blue and the moment I saw them I burst into tears. There is so much beauty and possibility in those brand new eyes. Thanks Josh.
Nice, Josh! I think that babies don’t know enough yet to be ashamed, or self-conscious. It takes a long time to learn that crap and just a breath to unlearn it. I’m back! Thanks, Man!
Love that!!!
Vulnerability (paradoxically) creates safety. That is the moral of the story to me.
Josh, I love what you share here, it makes my heart so full. Scheming on how I can work with you in person. Grateful for you being a shining beacon.
Hey Rebecca, come to class one of these days. It’s that easy.
Thx for your comment.
Great! I’ve been searching for exactly this , thanks for posting.
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