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Yogic Discernment in Community

Writer's picture: John Paul GauerJohn Paul Gauer

Updated: Jan 31




In transit history, it's commonly stated that evil auto companies forced the destruction or reduction of interest in rail or streetcars, which in the early 19th century formed the backbone of transportation in America. But before this, animals were our key transportation and they were replaced as transportation for various reasons. The interest in new things is not new because the promise of a better or easier life is never not new. Human life would not be the way it is today without our constant seeking for the better. Long ago, wheels and levers have largely allowed us to thrive, but certainly they could be used for harm too.


The automobile can be considered one of those important inventions that revolutionized our lives, and, in more recent times, the computer and the pocket computer (smartphone). We are just grasping the negative consequences of our use of these tools, whether it be the huge number of injuries and deaths or the mental consequences of overuse of smartphones. Often a part of this discussion is the importance of one’s own self-awareness and responsibility and in some cases, harsher policies of enforcement are utilized if something is deemed to be very dangerous. Needless to say, once something is invented, it doesn’t really go away, so we need to find different ways of including them in our lives, as individuals and collectively.


One yogic tool that is helpful for sorting this out at the community level is discernment (viveka / विवेक). Yogic discernment is at the level of our mind, but it is concerned with understanding the value of things as fleeting or non-beneficial (worldly or deluded) versus grounded in goodness (the infinite Soul). With the practice of discernment we can have the foresight to know that something will be good or bad for us and CHOOSE the better action. The great thing about discernment is that it is available to all of us, with a little practice, self-study and contemplation.


Sometimes in my spare time, I like to watch YouTube videos about cities and transit. In one video, the transition to a car-centric American environment is chalked up to lack of leadership and car industry pressure. Of course, these are forces that influenced what happened, but we can look at the yogic psychology of it too. For example, there is an instinctual part of us that wants to go towards new and interesting things. It may bring us delight and it may bring us some new conveniences. But the practice of discernment asks to be cautious. Discernment is easily practiced on the yoga mat or in seated meditation by stopping the instinct to flinch or to fidget. This same mechanism carries over to how we act in the world. We decide if the words that come out of our mouth when we’re irritated at something are for the better or the worse. In the case of new technology, we may not be able to draw upon direct experiences, but we have our memories of how we responded to other new technologies and what consequences they have led to.


It’s easy to see that the problem is not that cars exist (though some would rather they do not exist at all!), but rather how we have built our environment around them so that we have no choice but to use them for most of our lively activities. One need only look at history to see how people were displaced from their homes or forced to live near toxic highways. One can also look at other countries for comparison, such as in Germany or Japan. They are no stranger to cars, in fact they are a large part of both economies, but they have also organized their built environment around railways where they are best suited. Some of this comes down to decisions on land use as well. Our discernment leads us to see that thinking of land as an endless resource to exploit is a bad idea, because land simply isn’t unlimited and what you do on it has consequences elsewhere. While building better cities is not the total solution, it’s a more efficient and wise solution. One need only look at the previous two countries for examples of places and spaces that can be dense and beautiful and allow life to flourish in many more ways than the highway torn, single-family-tract-housing-covered American landscape.


Another part of this picture are the yama (यम) and niyama (नियम), which are yogic principles to live by. Ahimsa (अहिंसा), the first principle of restraint, is translated as non-violence. It seems pretty obvious, don’t hurt other beings, but in our complex modern society, we need to consider things a little further. It plays into our discussions on how to design our environment, and our relationship with technology. Cars are now a necessary part of our existence and we need to temper our use of them. For example, we don’t need to use them for everything and there are many tasks for which other transportation is more suitable and causes less collateral damage. One need only look for the evidence: pollution impacts (noise and air), societal separation, crash injuries and deaths and so on. Ahimsa is that principle that one may say is near universal. When we see harm, we stop it because it touches a place in our hearts. It can be said this instinct is common across all beings and most wisdom traditions. It is what we organize our laws and moral philosophy around, though they get twisted.  Ahimsa also takes work because our society rewards competition and base instincts. Instead, we can use our powers of discrimination, balanced with loving commitment, to thoughtfully take on the next technology that is now at our doorsteps in a mindful way. AI could be used to help us flourish, for example, to take away tasks that are time consuming, unenjoyable or dangerous. Are the people who are designing new technology, and those who decide how it is implemented, able to consider the greater good of ahimsa from a heart-centered perspective, rather than simply dollar amounts? We have to ask those questions and hold them responsible. These times are a reminder to ask yourself, “How am I using my powers of discernment?,” and “How am I committed to that principle that is deep within my heart and which helps me and others to flourish?”

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