Hey it feels safe, regular and familiar…………………..

 

Photo by William Felker on Unsplash

 

I love my family and extended family. Yesterday was a day (twice yearly)  for cousins and aunties, siblings and nephews, and grandchildren………to gather together, make the excursion/trip to sweep our ancestors’ tombs.

 

This has been going on continuously for years for everyone involved on “autopilot” mode.

 

After the usual rituals, we all proceeded to a private room in a Chinese restaurant and continued our conversation.

 

It’s a priviIege. I am very fortunate to have a gang of people with whom I have had a continuous relationship, with whom I have had such a conversation at exactly the same time twice a year (very often in the same place) and to my surprise (more like shock) yesterday, when I became aware of myself listening deeply with purpose into the interactions, I saw that everyone was saying everything they had said, made the same assertions, defended the same hypothesis , and tried to persuade others the same way………used the same models to explain the universe…..exactly as every time in the past.

 

And I found myself very tempted to have the autopilot drive me………except the moments when I managed to ask myself……..hey Maurice, is your autopilot on?

 

I am curious, what would the interactions be like if everyone left their autopilot at home?