Week Forty-nine: Taking Time to Notice Others

Riding the subway in New York City can be an adventure on many levels, as well as a ready source of discovery. Occasionally, sitting on a local train, something requires the trains to slow down enough that a passing express train crawls by just a bit faster than the local train. At these moments, a world of perception opens up to me. Instead of the usual blur of shapes whizzing by, distinct faces emerge on the other side of the windows.

Often, I find myself transfixed by the diversity and array of ages, kinds of faces, styles of clothing and hair, and postures of people in the train across the way. Inevitably, I find myself wondering about the lives of these many individuals – each going somewhere, each a person with a complex history, a web of relationships, hopes, dreams, and suffering.

I’m always moved and awakened by these chance encounters, because they remind me of how we so often move through the day passing people on every side without consciously noticing them, without reflecting on who they are. I also experience a deep sense of connection with everyone around me and remind myself of how interdependent we are – each of us playing our part, big or small, in our collective dance of human life.

This week’s experiment invites you to pay attention to the people around you – to remember that everyone you encounter has a history, a web of relationships, and a present that matters deeply to them. This is just about noticing – about taking a moment to register the presence of others, the importance of their lives, the connection you have to them as a person with your own history, web of relationships, and a present that matters deeply to you. As always, there’s no right answer, no particular way to do this experiment. It’s simply an invitation to increased awareness, as always. And, as you notice others more consciously, also become aware of how this touches you and your awareness of your own life and of what matters to you.

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