Driving: A Chance to Shift Perspective

The ability to sit quietly and observe our own experience, as we do in mindfulness meditation, can help us to build the skills and habits to be more objectively present in our engaged life.  Sometimes this objective presence arises spontaneously when we’re out and about in the world, and sometimes we can experiment with invoking it by deliberately shifting our perspective from one that has us at the center of it, to one that sees us as one piece of a much bigger picture.

Take, for example, driving.  The next time you find yourself driving through a town or commercial center where cars and people are moving amongst one another, you might try this:

1.  Notice how it feels to move through this space from your own perspective:  the cars coming at you, turning in front of you, causing you to react to their movements - some of which are expected, some of which are not;  some of which feel “reasonable”, some of which do not.  There might be a sense of people being in your way, or of your rights being dented by perceived or actual encounters with other drivers.  There might even be a sense of aggression or encroachment by others leading to a sense of resentment And maybe you even become aware of visualizing accidents a few times (accidents that don’t, in the end, happen).   In short, there might be an over-arching sense of “This is happening to me.  I am at the center of what is happening.”

2.  Now try shifting awareness to how the system as a whole is functioning:  how cars and people are moving through a shared space without much incident;  how everyone has similar objectives - the desire to get somewhere safely and with ease - and how the social compact - behaviors that suit the collective good as opposed to individual interest - is being upheld in so many moments.  In short, there might be a sense of “I am a part of all that is happening.”

The first perspective might feel a bit more fraught,  the second might be tinged with wonder.

Sometimes, we can also play around with wondering, as we’re driving, “How would each of us drive if our goal was for everyone to get to their desired destination as safely and with as much ease as possible?”  Interestingly, you might find that your own driving changes!  

And if you’re not a driver?  No worries - these exercises can be done walking down a busy sidewalk, or making your way through a crowded subway station or school hallway.

May all beings feel a part of something bigger, 

Your CMP family

*Hoping that you will join us this week in person, by conference call or by Zoom, or virtually via the many recorded meditations on the website. Click here to see our full schedule.