i disagree

Genna Louise
Jul 28
2 min read

Updated: Aug 3

i disagree

a fear of disagreeing for fear of the consequences

I asked my teacher what to consider at times in life when you just disagree with other people's values or behaviour.

Mark the cultivator of the Heart of Yoga taught ahimsa (abstaining from harm) before satya (truth), was what his teacher, Desikachar, would share with him. Encouraging kindness before truth, and open to intellectual and experiential dissection.

I wonder how to know when telling the truth is a kindness (in essence, non-harming) or not telling the truth is unkind (harming)?

What we perceive to be a kindness in spoken truth may be unkind. And what we perceive to be a truth spoken in kindness could be perceived as unkind or cause harm. This is where intimacy, curiosity, and wholehearted, sometimes uncomfortable presence are necessary. Listening to your internal world in relationship to that of another.

It is in the yoga of heart, mind and body that the answers present themselves.

We nurture the breath, so it can support the system,

to live optimally.

Photographer: Olivia Pina https://oliviapino.com/

i disagreed. once,

his face scrunched, as if in pain, or disbelief.

the wrinkled face failed to marry the voice that followed.

i wait in anticipation, washed with dread,

what i hear, what i feel, what i see,

the unspoken words express through action.

i wonder, are they rejoicing that i disagree, or disappointed?

is it a performance they want, or do they celebrate non-conformity?

with curiosity and utter confusion, the senses feed me, from within and without.

words carved of pretence, form an eerie silence.

that force conformity, with prison bars forged of bitter agreement.

for i disagree to agree.

better to dance in the wildfire of discomfort than be sentenced to life behind bars forged of self-betrayal.

Actions we can take to support dis-ease are to cultivate wisdom and awareness and steady the mind. To practice yoga is to absorbe the mind onto an object of choice. This could be your body, your breath, the vehicle being the breath.

Recommended Reading

I've just finished reading Divergent Mind by Janara Nerenberg worth a read; it inspired contemplation around internal narratives, experience and how social and cultural responses to diverse, abstract thinkers shape how many of us self-betray. See the link below for book details.

Divergent Mind