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Selfie Stick For The Soul

Self awareness and perspective

The rapidity with which thought vomit spews through our media (social and otherwise), often overwhelms any attempt at mindfulness. We can jot down our heated reactions, half-baked opinions, insults, and prejudices in a matter of seconds and they are preserved for time and all eternity on whatever platform we're using. By the light of the next day, we often regret what we've said, or at least how we've said it, especially if anyone calls us on it.

Trump's visit to a predominantly African-American Methodist church in Flint, and his subsequent shaming by the pastor there for going off script in an effort to serve himself and discredit Hillary Clinton, is a good example of the need to get some perspective before we speak.

In the arts we have this thing called "aesthetic distance." Basically this means that to really interact with a piece of visual art, theatre, or dance, you have to get some kind of space between you and it in order to experience the intricacies and nuance contained within it. You have to get perspective to appreciate the big picture. If you isolate one section of the stage and only see the action in that area, you miss out on the context in which it's happening, thereby missing chunks of the story.

In Flint, Trump neglected to reflect on the situation he was walking into. He neglected to be mindful of the pain the water crisis had inflicted on the community, He neglected to consider the class and race disadvantages in the city and be humbled by his own class and race advantages. He failed to examine the big picture that others at that church were likely carrying with them, namely his reticence to offer any comments or thoughts on the Flint crisis previous to this visit. In other words: they were invisible to him until he needed them to show he cared about black voters. He only saw what HE needed from the moment, not what the folks in Flint might need from him. He failed to be self-aware, and he missed the big picture.

Now, I'm not trying to be all partisan here; that's not what this blog, or SAGE Acts is about. I only use Trump as an example because it demonstrates clearly the need to be self-aware. Being self-aware, counter to what it may imply, is actually about being aware of others. It's taking the long view on how you fit into the big picture. It's about holding that selfie arm up to examine your own prejudices, behavior, and actions prior to speaking and acting on behalf of yourself, a moment, ideal, or issue. It's about being aware of how much you talk versus how much you listen. It's about knowing you need to listen more. Especially to others and ideas that are different from you/yours.

Getting aesthetic distance while trying to take a really great selfie is difficult. We can work at it by being mindful of what we want our picture to say about us. We can invite others into the picture by not always thinking our way is the only/right way. Our selfies get more texture and depth the longer that arm is. Perhaps that's why selfie sticks are such a major seller; they allow for a long view. We no longer have to exclude people and things who don't "fit." So, challenge yourself to be extra self-aware this week, See what happens. Bonus points if you set your camera on "panoramic." Feel free to tell us about it through the "contact us" link!