Posts Tagged: putting action first

“ACTION AND THINKING”

On June 9, 2017 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

 

“One of the CAC’s Core Principles is: ‘We do not think ourselves into a new way of living, but we live ourselves into a new way of thinking.’”  (Richard Rohr, https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/, accessed 05-29-2016).

. . .

“Franciscan alternative orthodoxy doesn’t bother fighting popes, bishops, Scriptures, or dogmas. As stated in another of CAC’s core principles, ‘The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better. Oppositional energy only creates more of the same.’ This alternative orthodoxy quietly but firmly pays attention to different things—like simplicity, humility, non-violence, contemplation, solitude and silence, earth care, nature and other creatures, and the “least of the brothers and sisters.”  (Richard Rohr, https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/, accessed 05-29-2016).

“Move a muscle, change a thought.”  (Twelve-step saying.)

Having mused yesterday about my tendency to overvalue and too narrowly define “productivity,” I want to come in with a good word for action, especially in relation to thinking.

I often fall into the trap of thinking that thinking precedes action.  In a sense, that is true—or, at least, it should be true.  I do indeed need to think before I act.

However, I also need to remember that action often needs to come first.  I remember many years ago participating in a class that was built on an action-contemplation model.  We were supposed to do ministry tasks, and then contemplate what we had done.  I hated the class!

But why did I hate the class?  Perhaps I hated it because I would much rather sit around and think (and talk!) about things, rather than actually doing something.  I remind me of the definition of a committee: “A committee is a group of people talking about what they should be doing.”  I am a one-man committee!

What would happen, if I were to put action first?  I might do some better thinking, for one thing.  For another, I might get more done.

Of course, the truth is that I need to do both, moving back and forth between the two.  Better action leads to better thinking, which leads to better action, and so on.

The name of Richard Rohr’s organization is “The Center for Action and Contemplation.”  I suspect that, Like Rohr, I need to put action first and contemplation (and thinking) second.

Sorry to cut this post off abruptly, but I need to go do something!  I’ll think about it and contemplate later.

 

 

 

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