Getting to why? Contemplative practice as reflection on intentionality

dc.contributor.authorWessels, Francois
dc.date.accessioned2015-11-30T07:11:09Z
dc.date.available2015-11-30T07:11:09Z
dc.date.issued2015-08-31
dc.description.abstractIn my experience, conflict and other forms of being stuck or (as it is commonly referred to in narrative texts) ‘stuckness’ are related to actions, behaviour or events. If we consider a narrative paradigm, they happen in the realm of the Bruner’s ‘landscape of action’. Efforts at escaping these problem-saturated experiences mostly resort to replacing these actions, habits, modes of operation or rules with a different set of rules, without first reflecting on the intentionality or ‘why’ behind the actions. Most often this only serves to perpetuate the problem. This article will attempt to show that alternating between various initiatives in the ‘landscape of action’ provides only temporary respite to the problem, if any; that the intentionality behind these actions needs to be revisited and that contemplative practice facilitate such reflection on intentionality. This is therefore an exercise in reflecting on intentionality or even purpose, that is, a teleological question. This process traverses the dimensions of ‘what’ (actions), ‘how’ (methodology) and ‘why’ (intentionality), referring to the biology of human decision-making in the process of doing so. This article posits that this reflection may be facilitated by contemplative practices such as mindfulness and reflecting on soul.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianam2015en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://www.hts.org.zaen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationWessels, F., 2015, ‘Getting to why? Contemplative practice as reflection on intentionality', HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 71(1), Art. #2701, 7 pages. http://dx.DOI.org/ 10.4102/hts.v71i1.2701.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0259-9422 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2072-8050 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.4102/hts.v71i1.2701
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/50977
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherOpenJournals Publishingen_ZA
dc.rights© 2015. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.en_ZA
dc.subjectProblem-saturated storiesen_ZA
dc.subjectIntentionalityen_ZA
dc.subjectContemplationen_ZA
dc.subjectLandscapes of consciousnessen_ZA
dc.subjectLandscape of actionen_ZA
dc.subjectLandscape of consciousnessen_ZA
dc.subject.otherTheology articles SDG-04
dc.subject.otherSDG-04: Quality education
dc.subject.otherTheology articles SDG-10
dc.subject.otherSDG-10: Reduced inequalities
dc.subject.otherTheology articles SDG-16
dc.subject.otherSDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
dc.titleGetting to why? Contemplative practice as reflection on intentionalityen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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