Day 407 - Michel François EXPO in Brussels

I had a hunch that the exhibition of the Belgian artist Michel François would be relevant for me to visit. I suddenly remembered how much I actually enjoyed being exposed to modern art during my years as an art student. It's an enjoyment I had in a way taken for granted.

My environment was promoting creative expression, and being exposed to so many different languages and poetries of expression had over the years simply become like a second nature. I realise this is also what I enjoyed initally when I explored creative writing for a few years. Within this I also realise how fortunate I was to have been able to go to an artschool, where I was pushed to explore forms of expression that are purely based on how self wishes to express and explore a point rather than it being based on social convention and how things are ‘supposed to be’. Obviously norms and conventions also exist within the world of art – but I found that the startingpoint within art education allowed for much more ‘innocense’ and some kind of deeper life wisdom, than the education I had been receiving thus far.  

When I entered the exhibition for a moment I felt ‘lost’ between the artworks because it was clearly art that required some context and explaining and I felt that I was missing the context. For a moment I thought I should go back and get a folder with explanations which some other visitors seemed to consult. But instead of doing that I simply walked tot he wall where the titles of the artworks in this room were displayed. This actually revealed everything I needed to know. The titles were so specific it was amazing how that changed everything. I could appreciate the humor and the playfulness in the artworks. 

I also rememered my own creative processess when doing research for art assignments at school. At the time I would often be annoyed at having to do this kind of research, because I felt like I was lacking a clear path, whereas that was part of the process: there was no clear path and you had to carve out your own path. This kind of education is quite beneficial because it places ‘self’ at the center of your own creative development and also the development of yourself as a person. But at the time I was so wrapped up in my emotional turmoil, I did not see these dimensions so clearly, lol.

Now I see them more clearly, and I can only wish that this type of education would be made available for everyone to experience, if they choose to.

Day 337 - My Visit to Belgium - Decade with Desteni

It was very interesting for me to visit Leila, Gian and Cesar back at my parent’s home in Belgium this week. It meant that I was reunited with one of my sisters, her husband and child, plus my parents.

What stood out for me is how, when Cesar (Leila and Gians child) would act in certain ways the overall response from my parents was not in accordance with how I remembered them. In relative terms they were quite relaxed and patient in how they dealt with the small one. Especially when he started drawing on the kitchen tiles with color pencils I went into a little moment of panic ‘because my dad is going to EXPLODE’, but he didn’t. Cesar was simply shown by Leila and Gian how he can clean the tiles afterwards with a wet sponge so that is what Cesar did.

This in turn showed me that my parents are able to change and that there are aspects of and about them that I do not necessarily know yet. Therefore I got to know them in a different way, which reminded me of the potential that exists in everyone to drop their old patterns and become a better version of themselves.

I had been visiting my parents a few times a year and I would say that the communication with my dad had evolved from speaking uncomfortably way in the beginning to now talking normally. There was a moment this week where I stood next to him in the kitchen and we were talking about watching cycling on the television. Suddenly I said to him: “you know, I never understood how you can watch cycling on television.” This is not something I would normally have allowed myself to say. I would have dismissed it as something that ‘can create conflict’ instead of seeing the innocence in it. The only way I could ask him that question is because I accepted myself in that moment and felt comfortable expressing myself towards my dad, even though I was not sure how he would react. (He was simply stunned for a moment.)

Another thing that was interesting to watch is how Leila and Gian deal with Cesar on a daily basis. I have never seen such a form of absolutely consistent and dedicated parenting.

Whenever Cesar did something that was in some way inconsiderate of others or the environment, they would approach him and explain to him in English the outflow of his actions and why he needs to adjust his behavior. They would speak to him in a calm manner and with a normal tone of voice. This would most of the times lead to him making a statement that he understands and then he would stop the behavior or pattern. What astounded me is that he as a small boy is completely open to reason. Yes, there is no yelling required, no freaking out, no manipulation with fear, no physical abuse, no verbal abuse, simply explaining consequences and showing the responsibility Cesar has within his actions.

It became apparent to me then that parenting is really the key to creating a world of stable and grounded humans capable of common sense and living in harmony with their environment and with other life forms.

Come and join us in this process of discovering what Life means. These glimpses of ‘Heaven on Earth’ that I am seeing, that I experienced this week, they did not just come falling from the sky. They were the result of working together in a group, of individually and together applying the tools of self-forgiveness, writing and changing ‘who we are’ over many years.

Find out more: http://desteni.org

Free online course to learn self-writing: http://lite.desteniiprocess.com