Freedom or Fear--Lessons of a Mud Bog

The economic crisis in our country has stirred much anxiety and distress among communities.  I notice my own concerns rise and fall like waves in my mind, usually stimulated by memories of past economic failures.  However, I maintain an overall calm as I listen to clients deal with their uncertainty or watch the national/international news--present moment involvement in events of my life.

My calm is centered in a trust I've found; trust in my ability to navigate environmental conditions.  Over the years, I've worked to build the ability to learn from present moment circumstances.  Accuracy in my perception is a result of listening to wise teachers, applying the teachings to my own experience, and fine-tuning my responses to others and the environment.  Perception is key to effective action and is essential to survival in rapid changing environments.

The Outward Bound program teaches survival in rugged wilderness.  The two guides on my Outward Bound journey helped shape my understanding of the importance of perception when interpreting environmental cues. The conditions of the moment could be dangerous or supportive depending on one's familiarity with Nature's cycles and moods.  They often used moments in our adventure as a metaphor to teach us about life.

One such moment was a volleyball-like game they'd arranged.  It was our groups' first day out and we were all dressed in our best outdoor gear.  The first stop on our canoe journey was a mud bog.  We gingerly stepped out of the canoes and walked on the plants that grew on the surface of the bog.  Then our leaders instructed us in bog ball.  Hitting the beach ball across the artificial court quickly dissolved into a mudfest.  The leaders' knew how to break through our inhibitions about getting down and dirty.  We lost our trepidation, laughing and playing as we jumped after the ball and fell full-bodied into the mud's embrace.  Freedom from fear was intoxicating.

The teaching followed.  Dave compared athletics to our outdoor experience.  He asked us, "Do you want to be a weekend basketball player, an intramural basketball player, or a professional basketball player when it comes to the outdoors?  Are you a weekend camper, an outdoor sports enthusiast, or a person committed to developing environmental skills and abilities?  The later requires you to lose your fear and develop intimacy with the environment.

The economic bog facing us today is another tremendous wilderness challenge for our country and our world.  We are forging a new path and, like the mud bog, there is the possibility of drowning.  But I discovered that solid ground lay about two feet beneath the water's surface.  And the plant growing in the mud created a matted surface to safely walk on.

Fear would have kept us stuck on the surface of the water.  Courage and curiosity emerged with the guidance of wise leaders.  Confidence in our ability to explore and find new ways of experiencing the environment resulted. Our community of wilderness survivors became environmental enthusiasts.  Getting our hands dirty and learning about our surroundings transformed our perception of reality from an environment full of hazards--like a pending lightning storm or the rocky water rapids--to a rich land of resources--like the water as a source of transportation or the rapid growth of teamwork needed to face challenges and complete the journey.

Fun and joy accompanied our hard work.  But the gift I walked away with was an understanding of community learning.  Each person's voice was important to our team reaching our destination.  Each person was a learning system and as our voices came together our group became a learning team.

I see the possibility for survival in our current economic crisis.  Beyond that, I see the opportunity for development of a learning nation.  My experience of calm is centered in diving into the economic mud of my own life and discovering the solid ground underneath.  As we walk through this collective crisis, we have important lessons to share.  I teach the value of embracing the moment, opening to reality, and trusting our ability to learn.  Fear is just one reaction to the "unknown" and "uncertainty."  I choose freedom.