I hope 2020 has started well for everyone! There is something about starting a new year. A determination to use another opportunity for a fresh start, a conviction that if only we did more, took better care of ourselves and others, the world could be a better place. At least it is how I start a new year even if some degree of pessimism begins to set in fairly quickly.

For me, this new year started with some personal optimism, but the world has never looked more unhappy or unhealthy.  Suffering, although not equal, defines humankind in ways that we may not have considered before. At such times, we are taught or have a natural tendency to count every one of our blessings – having a job, good health, a family that is undivided by outside forces, a roof over our heads, food on the table, or whatever else that makes us feel grateful. Counting our blessings is an anxiety controlling mechanism. It is also the only way we can push through negativity even as we recognize that there may be others who cannot see past everything going wrong around them. We must, therefore, pay attention and hear those who do not have many reasons to be grateful for. Being humble by only recognizing that we have much to be grateful for is not sufficient. We need to be hyper-aware and sensitive to how others are feeling while processing the impact of all that is happening, on ourselves in order to act effectively. 

In an academic and social environment like MIIS, we should take the time to reflect upon our commonalities. At our institution, this is a push, a desire, and an expectation that we will all do our share to make the world a better place.  The call for action is loud and clear, and we are all in the business of doing many different things at the same time, all to show off our list of efforts made to ending injustice somewhere in the world. It is hard to end this practice (or maybe it is now a habit and a culture) when action is what we are rewarded for; however, action without contemplation will exhaust us and also affect the quality of our work. 

I suggest contemplation because it is not just pausing from our mad rush to get as much done as possible. It is a way to (1) pay careful attention to everything going on around us, (2) to evaluate our values and beliefs, (3) to know ourselves better – our strengths and challenges, (4) to understand better those who seem different from us, (5) to hear the suffering and misfortunes of those around us, and (6) to make a careful decision from the various options available to us.

Contemplation is different from reflection. Contemplation is paying attention, taking stock, and making decisions. Self-reflection is an essential component of contemplation. The process of contemplation is something you can pause to do, or it can be done along with all the work you are responsible for, and it can happen in any context. While you are taking a walk, a run, meditating, sitting at the beach, having a cup of coffee, or while you are engaged in your routine activities.

Contemplation should become an essential aspect of academia, especially for all of us at MIIS. Our vision statement of creating a more just world will not happen with just our actions. The start of 2020 is an excellent time to try and see if contemplation will help push back the negativity and pessimism to much later in the year. I wish everyone the very best for 2020!