One morning here at Amritapuri, social anxiety came up quite strongly. I felt awkward and self-conscious, as an echo of this issue from my teens.
It was a reminder for me to explore projections both ways.
THE WORLD IS A MIRROR FOR ME
I can find in myself what I see in others and the world. I can find genuine and specific examples of it.
Here, I actively use the world as a mirror for myself. What’s there is also here.
The Work of Byron Katie is excellent for exploring this, as is tonglen and other practices.
WHAT’S HERE IS ALSO THERE
The other direction is equally important. What I know from myself is also in others and the world. It’s there at least as a grain, potentials, a part. I imagine those around me sometimes and in some form experiencing what’s in me now.
I am not unique in my hangups, wounds, clarity, or insights. What’s here is also there, to some extent and in some form.
In my imagination, I see me as a mirror for them.
IN THE SAME BOAT
Both help me see, and eventually viscerally feel, that we are all in the same boat.
In the situation above, where social anxiety came up, it helped to remind myself that others experience this too. Everyone has experienced some of it in some situations. Some may even experience as much or more than me, right now. This helps me find compassion for all of us. It’s not about just me.