The Place de la Concorde métro station in Paris is paneled with white tiles. On these white tiles are blue letters so when the train comes into the station, you feel as if you’re entering a tunnel of words. But only if you use the pause to see the letters will you see that they’re not random letters.
One day I picked out ‘contribution publique’. Public contribution. I love that. It made me question my contribution.
What am I contributing to the public space?
Often it’s something along the lines of:
- Irritation
- Hurriedness
- Anxiety
When I become conscious of my state of being, I can slow down and choose something other than grumpiness.
I do this thing in airports where there’s a lot of tension and anxiety. I consciously emanate calmness. Moving slowly through the space, I act as if there’s no need for fear or worry. I relax and trust that all is well. I usually find a wall to the side of the waiting area and practice a few yoga asanas.
Often I see people start doing their own pre-flight stretches. People have approached me and asked about yoga. I see the ripple effect of a few public stretches. I know I’ve sent out:
- Calmness
- Peace
- Trust
For my life online, my policy is to not put negative comments into the space. Often I want to complain about something. A snarky response dances at the edge of my fingertips, wanting to get out there and show how clever and smart I am.
But I hold back. That’s not the contribution I want to make.
I can do this anywhere – send out ‘good vibes’. This is one possible contribution publique, to be mindful of the energy I put into the world around me.
The Occupy Movement is another public contribution. Giving money or food to people begging on the street is another public contribution.
As part of the American Thanksgiving celebration, consider your public contribution.
What do you contribute and what would you like to contribute?
Thank you for this post Cynthia, I think its something that a lot of us forget about as we go about our days, feeling grumpy and anxious in our own little worlds, thinking we’re not affecting anyone else. Something I do every time I drive is set my intention for perfect timing, perfect safety, and an enjoyable driving experience. Keeping that in mind as I’m driving cuts way down on the road rage vibes I send out, and even more amazing is how I avoid feeling it from other drivers too. Sending out good vibes is good for me, and good for everyone else too.
Isadora,
That’s so great. It’s really important to be conscious when driving – I mean energetically. It’s so easy to get angry and impatient, to forget that that’s a person, not ‘a bus’ or an ‘SUV’.
I have only a tiny, tiny, tiny idea of how energy emanates and works. But I know it does and I have seen it (I call it juju.).
I wrote this article as a reminder to myself as much as for others. I’m glad it resonated with you and I appreciate your comment!
My contribution to public space are my outdoor sculptures, with the hope that the people viewing wildlife using them changes attitudes toward other species as well as toward other people. If our DNA is only 3% different from an orangutan, how different can we be from other people? Loved the idea of energy shifts for leaving the house, however!
I love this, Cynthia! It is a primary thing I am working on–how and what I want to be in the world.