First morning in Bangkok. I woke up, and was happy to see tall buildings and green trees outside our room. What a contrast of environment to Bali. It’s good to travel and change location sometimes, because if we stay in one place for too long it’s very easy to fall a sleep where we are. Being in a new place, sharpens perception and wakes you up to a new reality outside the one you have been living in.
When we were travelling at the airport and on the airplane, I realized that most humans are very innocent and mostly good. Our essential nature that is rooted in our humanity is of goodness. Most people are also very kind and helpful!
When we were getting off the airplane, the woman next to me across the aisle got her suitcase from on top of the overhead carry on section and was walking off the plane, and when she was leaving the airplane in front of me I had the remembrance and subtle awareness that she was forgetting something. As I was also walking off the airplane, I recalled that when she came on board the airplane she had 2 belongings she put on top in the carry on section, one was a small luggage and the other piece was a rolled up long cylinder art piece of some kind that she put on top of our side of the aisle because her side was full. That’s the only reason why I would remember she had a belonging on our side of the aisle.
In that moment, I normally would have tapped her on the shoulder and mentioned that I thought she might be forgetting something, but for some reason I didn’t say anything—and felt I wasn’t meant to intervene in this moment of time. That was a strange experience for me, to feel guided not to say or do anything. I have no problem openly talking to strangers and speaking to people I don’t know, yet in this specific experience it didn’t feel like my place to say anything or intervene in anyway.
The wisdom reminder for me in this experience was: Just because I COULD, doesn’t mean I SHOULD.
I felt a subtle wisdom and deeper knowing that I wasn’t meant to say or do anything—just because I had the awareness of what was going on in the moment, didn’t mean I was supposed to change or fix anything. If I would have FELT that it was important for me to let her know I thought she was forgetting something on the airplane, then I definitely would have—but I really felt it wasn’t my place to intervene in anyway for some reason in this specific example. It was like a silent and deeper inner knowing of what was right in that moment—and what was right action was simply observing and not involving myself. Being more passive in this situation was a more new experience for me as someone who usually leans towards being more active, assertive and speaking up.
As we all got off the airplane, we entered one of those transport buses that take you to the arrival terminal. After a 10 minute journey to the other side of the airport, we all got off the bus and as we left the bus I saw that woman made her way to the front of the bus and was talking to the bus driver and she probably had only then remembered that she forgot her art piece on the airplane! She was probably asking the bus driver to take her back to the aircraft to retrieve what she had left behind.
When I saw her at the front of the bus, probably panicking that she forgot her belonging on the airplane—I felt bad for her in my heart, and a part of me felt bad that I didn’t say something to her or do anything—yet it was only later after reflecting on this experience that it came to me that maybe she was meant to have that experience to wake something in her up, so that next time she would be more vigilant, careful, aware, and conscientious. Maybe she needed that experience to startle something in her awake, and to be more mindful and careful next time of her things and belongings.
We don’t always know the reason why things happen the way they do—yet we have to trust that there is a teaching and learning in every experience we have. And the more important learning and teaching for me specifically in this experience was to see and understand that just because you see, are aware of something, or know something—doesn’t always mean its right to SAY or DO something if its not your place to intervene. Everyone has their own path, and is meant to learn different things for their development.
To have the wisdom, discernment and maturity of knowing and feeling when to speak up and do something, and when its more “right action” to observe and be silent to allow whatever experience is meant to unfold to unfold for that person and what’s needed for their path and journey. The dance of being and doing. Yin and Yang. Involving ourself and stepping back and letting things run their course naturally…
I share this reflection, contemplation and realization as a learning for myself, and hope that it can also be fruitful and of value to you as well in some way…when to actively act vs. listening to a deeper wisdom that tells us to observe and let things be as they are so that they run their course naturally without any intervention. Listening, living and acting in accordance with the Dao—the natural process of life unfolding.
Love, Nicole ❤️