Being Present

I came to this post through an approach to our everyday engagement with interconnectedness. I think it resonates very nicely with the recent popularized work of Marina Abromavic at the Museum of Modern Art working with the concept of "true reality", but I'd like to present it here in a very different context that of speaking and communication. Patsy Rodenburg has been speaking eloquently on this subject for numerous years as it relates to the field of speech and drama most notably in her book The Right to Speak: Working with the Voice (1992) and more recently in her publication The Second Circle: How to Use Positive Energy for Success in Every Situation (2008)

Patsy Rodenburg on being "present"

Broken down I think First Circle is interior, diffident and self conscious while Third is self involved and highly charged. I often times find myself in my enthusiasm imposing my Third Circle energies on others, simply waiting to get my own thoughts out instead of attending to the "now" of the conversation. I think it's important that we be first good listeners before we can become good speakers. Second Circle I believe is the space between indifference and self absorption where we let ourselves connect and appreciate the experience of interaction. Let us all try to inhabit the "presentness" of Second Circle and to continually seek out interconnectedness our relationships in the New Year.

Upcoming... LV Goes Camp-ing (No Tent Pitching Involved)