2 Sides of the Same Coin

Meditation and mindfulness are great tools for our inner independence.  Each time we place our attention on something and practice holding it there, we are declaring our independence from looping thought, rumination, and past and future obsessing, and we are declaring our allegiance to our present moment experience.  Each time we smile when the mind has wandered and bring it back gently to breathing, or listening, or walking, we are declaring our independence from self-judgment and declaring allegiance to patience and resilience.  Each time we pause to explore our emotional landscape, we are declaring independence from reactivity, and swearing allegiance to inner wisdom.

And the more we practice, the more we become aware that independence and interdependenceare two sides of the same coin.  We become aware of how deeply connected we are to the word around us.  We see that there isn’t one moment of our day that hasn’t been shaped in some way by the hands of another and that we’re continuously shaping others’ lives, in ways large and small.  
So as we contemplate and celebrate independence this weekend, let’s also contemplate and celebrate interdependence. What does it mean not just to be free, but to be free as part of a larger society?  Are we truly free if all members of our community are not free?  Desmond Tutu said, “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be free together.”  Might it also be true that, “My freedom is bound up in yours, for we can only be free together.”?

May we all be free together,

Your CMP Family

Please Donate Now

In these challenging times, your support is more important than ever. As a nonprofit, we can’t cancel our needs to fundraise. We need your donations to continue offering meditation sessions.CMP is a licensed charity in the state of CT as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Checks can be mailed to Community Mindfulness Project, P.O. Box 1713, New Canaan, CT 06840. Credit cards are accepted at www.CommunityMindfulnessProject.org. Thank you!

This Week's Featured Meditation

CMP has created a library of guided meditations that are available on our website. Our guided meditations have no preamble or discussion. They begin and end with the sound of a chime. If you aren’t ready to go directly to a guided meditation, you can also start with the audio discussions on our site. They provide an explanation of a practice. We encourage you to try one today!