Meeting the Pain of the World

By Caverly Morgan, Founder of Peace in Schools and Head of Practice

In our mindfulness programs for high schoolers and educators, we emphasize that an important part of practicing mindfulness is to learn how to integrate and apply those tools directly to our lives, including to the injustices in the world. We see mindfulness as both an inner and outer practice, and as an organization, we believe in connecting our work to the commitment to justice that’s currently unfolding in our city of Portland, Oregon. We see the people who are on the front lines of the struggle for justice. We stand with those committed to the truth of our inherent interconnection. We stand in shared commitment to education and action towards social justice and antiracism. 

How do we remember the tools of mindfulness in the middle of a protest, or when emotions are heightened? How do we take action skillfully, from a place of love?

Another of our core lessons: You are not your thoughts. You are more than your feelings: your anger, fear, uncertainty, or hopelessness. Again and again, we see this simple yet profound lesson radically transform the perspective of both the teens and adults we serve. It helps them ask: What if there were more to my identity than this anxiety, this depression, this fear? What if, by pausing and paying attention to my experience, I could reconnect with the part of myself that is bigger than that? The part of me that can be with any experience, no matter how challenging?

“How do we remember the tools of mindfulness off the cushion, in the middle of a protest, or when emotions are heightened? How do we take action skillfully, from a place of love?”

This can be hard to remember, especially when we are in the midst of great upheaval, as we are right now. Yet, if we are able to pause and go beneath the storm clouds of our more challenging emotions, we'll discover that happiness, clarity, and resilience are the very nature of our being. 

In a world that is more interested in playing upon our fear or anger than reminding us of our inherent goodness and wisdom—of who we truly are beneath the fear, anger, or confusion—remembering to pause and look inward can be difficult. We habitually look to external circumstances, people, and experiences to create a sense of stability rather than the wisdom that lives inside us. 

“Another of our core lessons: You are not your thoughts. You are more than your feelings: your anger, fear, uncertainty, or hopelessness. Again and again, we see this simple yet profound lesson radically transform the perspective of both the teens and adults we serve.”

In times like these, it’s more important than ever to ground into the very thing that can sometimes appear groundless: our very being. Our direct experience of presence. 

At Peace in Schools, we've been offering teens and educators a way to do just that since 2014. Our for-credit mindfulness courses have been offered at ten high schools in Portland, and we offer a variety of online courses for youth-serving professionals. We've partnered with leaders in the field such as Dr. Dan Siegel, Johns Hopkins University, and OHSU. My new children’s book: A Kids Book About Mindfulness (for ages 9 through 109) explores these topics as well, and was released this month.

Caverly Morgan is the Founder & Head of Practice at Peace in Schools. She leads the Peace in Schools teaching team, created our mindfulness curricula, and works directly with teens and adults. She has been practicing mindfulness since 1995, including eight years in a monastic setting. Caverly formerly worked for nonprofits serving people with special needs. An artist and educator, she brings insight, passion and humor to her transformative work with students of all ages. Caverly speaks publicly at conferences and has been featured in many publications including Mindful Magazine and The New York Times.