Brian Johnson explores the Sanskrit greeting Namaste, which means "I bow to the divine within you." He connects it to Barbara Fredrickson's work on micro moments of connection, suggesting that acknowledging the divine in others could become a daily practice.
Chapters
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic one. In our last one we spent some time with Captain Fisheye and ChatGPT as we had fun exploring the origin story of the modern salute. Then I connected that practice to the modern science of creating micro moments of awesome which form a critical part of enhancing our well being and strengthening our modern social fabric. We talked about the science behind this practice in our notes on Barbara Fredrickson's Love 2.0, which is at least tied for first as the most life changing book I've ever read. Check out Those notes. Love 2.0 as a guy who tends to spend a lot of time in my head, who also tends to be a bit too introverted if I'm not mindful about it, following Dr. Fredrickson's wisdom to exit my cocoon of self absorption and deliberately find opportunities to connect with people when I'm out and has been nothing short of life changing. Now, as you may recall, we also talked about practicing our take on Walt Whitman's adage. He said, in the faces of men and women, I see God. We say in the faces of men and women we see heroes. You know what else that reminds me of? The ancient practice of bowing to the divine within others. Have you ever heard of the word Namaste? Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few decades and or have never stepped into a yoga studio, of course you have. Namaste is an ancient Sanskrit word. It means essentially I bow to the divine within you. You wonder what its origin story is. So did I. Me Chatgpt what's the origin story of the word Namaste? Chatgpt Namaste is a traditional greeting in India and Nepal, used widely in Hindu, Buddhist and other South Asian cultures. The word comes from the Sanskrit language where namas means bow or adoration and te means to you. Therefore, namaste translates to I bow to you or I honor the divine in you. Chatgpt continues by saying the gesture associated with Namaste involves placing the palms together in front of the chest with fingers pointing upwards and and a slight bow of the head. This gesture is called Anjali Mudra in Sanskrit. The origins of namaste can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and practices. It was used as a respectful greeting and acknowledgment of the divine spark within each person. The gesture and word together symbolize a recognition of equality and the belief that the divine resides within all individuals. And finally, in modern times, Namaste is used both as a greeting and a farewell in various contexts, including everyday interactions, yoga practices, and spiritual settings. Its use has also spread globally, especially in yoga and mindfulness communities, symbolizing a respect and spiritual acknowledgment of one another. Me. Thank you, ChatGPT. You're on a roll and you blow my socks off. And that's today's plus one. I salute you, hero, and I bow to the divine within you. Now let's go do that for everyone. We are blessed to see today.
