What is the most important thing?

First off, welcome - if you're already familiar with my words and work, you'll notice some changes to the look and feel of this missive since I've moved from Substack to Ghost, but the substance remains the same (and you don't need to do anything, you'll continue to receive my newsletter in the same way, no changes there). If you're new, then hi, here's what you can expect:

The name of this publication (formerly known as Real & Raw, so called as a commitment to authentic communication over intellectual righteousness) is an inquiry graciously borrowed from the Zen master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, whose teachings have been fundamental to my own practice as a writer, Dharma student and practitioner, and teacher/facilitator of the contemplative arts (namely reflective writing, yoga and meditation).

I should say outright that I’m not here to tell you what the most important thing is. There's enough pontification out there already and I'm avidly against any kind of dogma. What I am here for is exploration and conversation, and sharing what I’ve found to be true in my own experience – when it comes to trying to live a sane life.

In that sense, it’s the question that matters most, and my missives endeavour to explore questions along that theme - by way of inquiring into ways of being in relationship to ourselves, each other and the world. Variations of that question and versions of that inquiry is what I’ve spent my life exploring – previously as a journalist, then working in human rights and advocacy, in mental health and recovery, and in environmental science.

I’m interested in the causes, conditions and consequences of how people come to be, as a result of personal history, geopolitical shifts and societal forces. That's what I write about, in an effort to share thoughts, personal stories and insights, inspiration, teachings, wisdom and ideas that can help us touch into what it means and how to navigate life's invariable vicissitudes.

I believe words have the potential to wake us all up, to new perspectives, wider views, the connections that are truer than the divisions woven by those who would have us think only one way. And so there’s the paradox, words also have the power to drive us apart, to split our minds, seed confusion and discord. I’m on the side of the former. That’s the place from which I share – because the adage is true; sharing is caring.

All of which is to say, the most important thing in my view is curiosity, kindness, connection and compassion. In other words:

• it’s to live in the face of the fact that all of us, that life, is messy and imperfect
• which is easier to bear and more fulfilling to face when we challenge, question and resist limiting beliefs, narratives and perspectives
• and choose to think, feel and know (for) ourselves and what it means
• to awaken to each moment and to keep going when we flail and rail and fall
• by keeping an open heart and an open mind
• by staying curious and connected
• in the worthy quest to develop a friendly regard for the nature of our own minds and the lives of each other.

To paraphrase the Buddha’s fundamental teachings on the meaning of life: it’s precious, short and tough; we all fuck up sometimes and that’s okay; we don’t have to get tight or stuck when we do; we can free our minds and minimise harm by learning to see things a little more clearly.

It’s as profoundly and frustratingly simple as that. And it isn’t easy. Which is why it all takes practice. Writing, as a form of conversation, is that practice for me. And that’s what you’ll find here: invitations to contemplate the what, why and how of expressing ourselves heartfully, mindfully, carefully and clearly.

Onwards; let’s go…

Question: what's the most important thing for you, right now, in this moment? This is an especially useful question to interrupt the mindstream when we find ourselves caught up, or on the verge of getting caught up in the runaway momentum of emotional or mental overwhelm. It can act as a pause, a forced stop, a way of taking back some agency and deciding what matters most. In that way, we can return to a sense of stability, focus and control. Try it, see for yourself.