(Madison, WI) I have a Buddha in my kitchen window. I see him whenever I do dishes or cook. He’s sitting in the lotus position with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cell phone to his ear. LOVE THAT. Reminds me that even in the thick of contemporary demands, we can carry inner peace through it all. In our stillness lies great opportunity.
Prior to a couple years ago, I never gave much thought to why young people do - or don’t - attend the arts. But then a group of very persuasive arts professionals - headed by Greg Charleston at the Arts Council of Indianapolis - appealed to my inner stillness. Greg and his team convinced me that we need to turn our market research lens on the issue of attracting younger patrons to the arts.
There were lots of reasons why we shouldn’t do it. The arts were not a core market. We didn’t believe we could do it well and profitably. We didn’t have resident experts on the team. But the objectives melted away one by one and my inner stillness screamed “Do it!!” So we did. We kept costs down by training a local team of researchers. Marti joined us as a project manager and Erin McLennon provided research assistance, giving us resident experts. We had a ball, learned a ton… and recently learned that we’ll continue to work in Indianapolis to extend and apply our learning for the benefit of the arts community.
This morning when I took this picture, I thought of the many times that I’ve been racing through my life - cell phone in one hand and travel mug in the other - when my inner Buddha whispered opportunity. The more balanced I am - the more I take time to listen to the still, small voice - the more impact I can have.
Now, go on… be a Buddha.
P.S. I trust that those of you who don’t identify with Buddha but do identify with Jesus Christ, Allah, Abundant Spirit, Goddess Mother, etc. apply the same ideas of stillness, prayer, and meditation to your own spiritual practice.
