14 August 2020 — WALKING THROUGH THE WORD HARMLESSLY

To ‘Walk Through The World Harmlessly’ is a phrase I first heard from my teachers of Vipassana Meditation. Walking Through The World Harmlessly is, in effect, not leaving any signs of where one has been such as dropping litter or not clearing up after one’s self at home. Even in cafes I like to take my dishes back to the counter even though some people seem to think that in so doing I an taking the employees job away from him or her. I very often find that the people whose job it technically is are very grateful as they feel valued and not taken for granted.

Another aspect of ‘Walking Through The World Harmlessly’ is to leave those whom one meets during the course of the day feeling good and happy to have met one and NOT feeling dragged down by one’s mood and attitude.

My biggest bugbear are dog owners who don’t clear up after their pets. Even if those of us who are adults are quick to spot the ‘mess’ left by dogs and thereby avoid stepping into it, it is often quite another case for children who tend to look ahead and not down as they walk, run, skip, bike or scooter along the pavement.

The basic adage is, of course, to treat others as you yourself would like to be treated and I’m sure that most of us would like to be able to walk along pavements without the risk of stepping into dog faeces left by careless owners who are failing to Walk Through The World Harmlessly.

Our friends and families, of course, are the people whom we, by our attitude and actions affect the most and who affect us the most and I’m sure that where no ill will exists with them we do walk through the world harmlessly and leave them feeling better for having seen us.

PONDER POINTS — What I understand by Walking Through The World Harmlessly is …I get upset by other people when …… My greatest bugbear with regard to people I meet randomly is …