03/18/2026
To be honest, I didn’t understand until very recently how a practice of sending good wishes out to a pretty eclectic group of people could cultivate my “calm and composure in difficult situations.”
Then, in a class I’m taking with the , I learned about the research showing that when we are threatened, we retreat back to “our” group and we treat “others” as less. This checks out with my experience and seems to match what I know of history.
A narrow, defensive posture is inherently more reactive and unstable – aka, less prone to equanimity – than a broader perspective. When we can’t see beyond our own nose and are in a bubble of reinforcing beliefs, it’s hard to act with any “evenness of mind” - let alone wisdom or compassion. 👉 In other words, the ancient Buddhist practice of Loving-Kindness – where we wish well to ourselves, a loved one, a stranger, and an “enemy” — counteracts our human impulse to retreat to a small group in scary times.
💚 Loving-Kindness is more than starry-eyed aspirations. It can palpably decreases our panicked, knee-jerk reactions, by broadening our perspective and giving us a bigger foundation on which to stand. Hmmm. 🤔 I’ll be practicing.
✨✨ If you want to practice with me, a Loving-Kindness meditation ⚖️ is on THE BLOG. You can also practice with me live, in-person on 4/23 in Larchmont and live, online 3 times a week. Links in bio.
