Insightful

Insight: The power of seeing into a situation; apprehending the inner nature of things.
 
Sounds like a worthwhile skill to build, don’t you think?

Insight takes us beneath the surface of a situation, conversation, or quandary. It allows us to penetrate deeper and become sensitive to nuances, motivation, and energy. In doing so, it brings the discrimination and clarity needed to shift our limiting reactions, habits, thoughts, and feelings.
 
I experienced this just today. Someone came to me with a choice that felt unfair. My habitual reaction would have been to look for someone to blame. And I did go to that place of blaming (internally) for a while. Then I paused. I withdrew from my habitual reaction for a moment and considered the situation from various angles and motivations. 

As I thought about the bigger dynamics that led to the choice I was being asked to make, it became apparent how I wanted to respond. My response was not based on what this person was doing, but on my own values. The insight I gained empowered me to respond in a way of my choosing. It felt like I was seeing with crystal clear vision. The decision felt good and right.
 
In the stillness of our practices, in slowing down to become more mindful, in building our capacity for self-reflection, we become more conscious of our thoughts and energy, more sensitive to others. Insight brings deeper understanding and a broader perspective of the world around us. These are the prerequisites for empathy and compassion.

Over time, the inclination to apprehend the “inner” nature of situations starts to feel like a natural, almost automatic response. Once we develop it, it’s hard to go back to living on the surface, but why would we want to?
 
Have you experienced a situation where your response changed based on the insight you gained from looking deeper?