Turning Towards Life - a Thirdspace podcast Thirdspace

We've often internalised a particularly destructive story about what it is to be human - that we're inherently selfish, grasping, and inevitably violent to one another. And that because of that we ought to live very warily indeed. But, as the writer David Graeber reminds us, the 'common-sense' story of what it is to be human is just one story out of many. And we are filled with many different kinds of qualities and capacities, some of which we choose to prioritise over others - and some of which we've practiced more than others. But which qualities we bring to the world is a choice - the unique gift of being sentient, choosing humans. And the real question is which qualities we choose take as the foundation of our humanity, and therefore, make the basis of our civilisation.

This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.

In the choices about what to pay attention to, the wider culture many of us inhabit tells us - be afraid, be in a hurry, get things done, be productive, panic about the future, distrust your own senses, distract yourself. So much of the media that comes our way reinforces all of those messages. But what if we turned towards the beauty and wonder that is, alongside all there is for us to worry about, always here? And what if our attention to the beauty, wonder, mystery and relationship could spur us to take care - of ourselves, of those around us, of the wider world - with eyes and hearts of a deeper love and courage than any fear and any panic could ever generate in us?

This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.

So many of us have been taught to flatten our imaginations, and in the space that is left we so easily feel as if we somehow have to magnify our experiences of life, always striving for something more intense or more meaningful or more vibrant. And, while there are times for that, we wonder what would happen if we allowed ourselves to kindle our radical amazement (itself an imaginative act) with what or who is right here with us in this moment. What new wonder could we then find gazing into the eyes of a friend, lover or child; or mopping the kitchen floor; or allowing ourselves to be playful in the midst of the ordinary every-day?

This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.

There are moments when we suddenly find out that we're not separate from one another or from life... and in those moments we discover that what we're here to do is to love. Isn't that a possibility we all long for, and sometimes find so difficult to entertain - the opportunity to give love, to receive love, to have love flow through us into our work, into our relationships, into our friendships, into the street? Perhaps if we quieten down our striving and inner chatter enough, we'll find deep rivers of love waiting to be expressed. Or maybe we could put ourselves in situations where - because of what we're practicing, or opening to, or how we're softening - we might be reached by the grace of the moment and discover all of this from what and who is around us. Whichever way, it's our contention that to love and to trust in the capacity to love this heartbreaking and beautiful world, with all its tragedies and all its possibilities, is a necessary act of great faithfulness in life.

We can change - that much is certain. But change doesn't come by magic, and rarely does it come alone from a moment of inspiration, but instead by the steady, faithful application of practice - the walking of a path, step by step. The magic is that even practices that turn us by just a degree or two can, when held with dedication and consistency, make a huge difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us. And the second magic is that changing ourselves is best done with others - in a spirit of 'it's never too late, and we are not alone'.

This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.

What we long for, what we most need, is the simple kindness of others. But the world teaches us otherwise - that what we need most is away from one another. What a tragedy unfolds for all of us when we live in forgetfulness of our deepest longing. We think the world can be different - and this conversation is about just that.

This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.