Anthony Meindl's Blog

As another year draws to a close – and what a crazy one it’s been – I just wanted to share some thoughts for the Holiday Season that will hopefully keep everyone sane, inspired and at peace.

As some of you may know, I taught at the Moscow Art Theatre a couple weeks ago. It was an honor to be the guest at a school with such a storied history. It was even perhaps more inspiring because my approach to the work is quite contrary to the traditional approach the school has been steeped in for decades.

Here were two takeaways:

1) This art form has been around forever. I was literally teaching at the school whose founder – 120 years ago – put contemporary acting in a context that was original and forward-thinking for it’s time. Art evolves. So does it’s understanding and practical application. To be alive at such a time that is ushering in a whole new consciousness and approach to the work today is just as immediate and exciting as the time must have been sitting in a classroom with Stanislavski himself 100 years

ago. We’re a part of something magical here and I’m completely humbled that I fell into some sort of blessing to realize this 20 years ago and began teaching.

(Oh by the way, did I mention 2018 is our 20th Anniversary!)

2) Perspective. Russia has gone through two huge revolutions, and countless political, ideological and geographical conflicts. The Russian people have endured pain, hardship, starvation, famine, incarceration, Lenin and Stalin (!) and being sent to Siberia. They have survived two World Wars and Communism – dictatorship and censorship and the abolishment of freedom.

And yet, a century later, they have survived and evolved. They have overcome things difficult to imagine. And art is still being made. Stories are still being told. Actors are being taught to act – or rather they should be taught to be – but you get the picture.

It’s all moving forward. Sometimes in the midst of tumult, and huge cultural and political change it’s hard to find our bearings. We get caught up in mass collective consciousness and take on the fear and anxiety and triggered reactions they induce. Before we know it, we’re walking around in a constant state of low level panic and dread. About the state of our country, and most often, then, our own personal lives.

I’m sure Russian peasants felt the same way in 1917 about the Bolsheviks (and Lenin) as we do now of Trump.

Taking stock in this is important – as it allows us to course correct and make changes where we discover they need to be made. In between being pushed from one pendulum mood swing to the next – we may start to decide what’s important, and slow the pendulum swing down.

Love. Kindness. Compassion. Forgiveness. Tolerance. Empathy. Grace.

Those are thing things that matter. And ultimately evoke transformation.

So we continue to stand up for what’s right. We become activists for change and hopefully help make enough noise to reverse human rights infractions and other terrible global mistakes our leaders are making. This just happened a couple weeks ago when Trump lifted an elephant trophy ban from Zimbabwe. (Which was going through a coupe at the time and had no functioning government!) Because of our vocal opposition and protests he reversed the decision within 24 hours.

So we find causes we stand up for. And we create work that’s meaningful and important and uplifts as many people as possible because of its inspiration and beauty and universality.

Actors are fucking special and emissaries of this kind of humanity.

I had a student at our London studio challenge me on this precept saying I was projecting my hopes for him onto his work. Damn right I was! My job as a teacher is to stand in the truth that we are much more powerful and glorious than we ever allow ourselves to think. We’re more than an actor-for- hire. Or getting paid SAG-scale. We have unique voices and insights into the human condition. We are activists and creators who are hopefully changing the course of history. We are poets and

brave ones and sensitive souls in a world that often doesn’t care much about those types of beings.

The Stalinists sent those kinds of people to the gulags.

So why would I not want to discuss the higher aspirations of being an artist? Isn’t that what Stanislavski did in his small theatre on Kamergerskiy Lane in 1898?

Teachers don’t just teach technique.

Real teachers educate about the potential in every artist. In every human being. So maybe you’re not ready to take on that much responsibility yet. That’s fine. Maybe your goals are a little closer to home. To just get a better agent or book a freaking commercial, or get into SAG, or book a guest-star role. All are important goals, especially when pursued with presence and a desire to do it for oneself and not the approval of others. That’s making a difference too. The more you can do things from that intuitive voice within – you’re helping other people find that within themselves too.

And now more than ever we need less Sheep-people. We need artists who lead and give zero fucks.

So crappy national (and world) events can help us to focus on cleaning up our tiny part of the neighborhood. Overwhelming news about climate change can help us to be more mindful of turning off the lights or rejecting a plastic straw with our iced coffee or sometimes going for a walk rather than driving to the gym only to walk on the treadmill.

Maybe it includes removing yourself from toxic relationships or standing up for yourself a little more or demanding just a little bit more from others. When we take the global and distill it into the personal, the emotional events that can cause so much strife at an international or political level can liberate you into a new you. Because you feel that there are things you can do.

Take heart. Courage. It will all work out.

As Stanislavski said, “The fundamental aim of our art is the creation of the inner life of the human spirit and its expression in an artistic form.”

I guess we weren’t that different in our approach, after all.

Wishing you all a joyful and restful Holiday and safe New Year and excited to see you all in 2018.

We have a lot of wonderful things planned to celebrate our 20th !

Love, Tony

The post Tony’s 2017 Holiday Message appeared first on Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop.

Art isn’t just a thing. A painting hung in a museum. A play you attend. Music you

listen to.

It’s also not simply a process to create those things.

It’s an intent. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a choice. It’s a philosophy.

To choose to live mindfully from a heart space with compassion and awareness,

while sharing your vulnerability with other people is the highest form of

art you will ever make. It’s also the most impactful.

It’s better than the song you will sing or a movie you will direct or a poem you will

write. Although making those things is important. And powerful. They are an

extension of who you are as an artist. They are statements you are leaving with the

world.

But a demonstration to others – of what it is to live from your heart – is a work of art

itself. And I would say the greatest one. Songs are forgotten. Movies are replaced by

new movies. Books collect dust and other stories are told. But the imprint you leave

sharing yourself with others in the world is what’s most remembered.

All interactions have value. Each encounter can make a difference. Even more so

when experienced from the heart.

It’s not easy though.

It requires a great amount of patience and bravery. And in a world that seems to

have become increasingly insensitive (and aggressive) towards people who are

sensitive, it’s almost downright scary.

To live from the heart is sensitivity. Partly, this is because it requires attunement

with other people’s suffering. And also because it requires a sense of awareness to

find solutions to our problems at a deeper, more refined level than society often

regards.

Some people may argue that it’s just easier to live from the intellect. Or that they’ve

tried opening their heart and it ended up getting them shafted. Or, why put yourself

out there when no one else seems to be doing it?

But choosing to live your life from an intellectual place or that of cynicism or

negation doesn’t eliminate the longings of the heart. That’s the great irony right

there. Everyone on this planet (including Donald Trump!) is making choices that they believe will allow them to live happier lives. Everyone has longing. Everyone has heart. It’s the refusal to acknowledge it that gets scary.

We just want to be more conscious about the artfulness of making choices that

originate from this heart space. This doesn’t mean to be reckless with our heart or

with others. This doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes and sometimes just want

to scream at people and tell someone to “F**k off!”

But the willingness to live from a place beyond our habituated, reactive, safe self is

art.

To be willing to touch another person’s life by staying open is the greatest

masterpiece you will ever make. And the beauty of it is that you may not ever know

that you even did that.

Actor in video: Mason Trueblood

The post Living from the Heart is Art appeared first on Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop.

1) Be prepared. Actors often are taught (and believe) that “preparation” is the thing

that we should be doing to get ourselves ready for the role. Well, yes, there’s that.

But that’s just sort of obvious to me. Learn your lines, know what you’re talking

about, understand the scene, make choices, then go for sh*t!

But the most important kind of preparation is preparing for everything that you

wanted to prepare for that no longer applies. In other words prepare for the

unexpected. Because that’s the real art very few people teach and is also what

happens in the real world of filmmaking: You only get one take to do the scene you

were thinking in your head you were going to crush. You’re “prepared” to do your

close-up and it starts to rain. The monologue you were ready to slay just got cut.

Completely. Your co-stars don’t know their lines, so the scene now becomes about

surviving it so that you can at least get one take without mess-ups. The focus-puller

can’t focus, so you have to do 15 takes. The noise of the nearby subway is so loud it

disrupts every take, so you have to move locations.

Preparation is being open to where life and its moments take us. Not what we

thought something should sound like on the page or in our heads.

2) Who are you? I had a student at our London studio ask this about herself, “Who

am I?” It’s perhaps the most important question you can ask. If you don’t know who

you are then how can you make art? Art requires a very personal point-of- view. And

often, a life-or- death commitment to tell a story, or fight for a cause, or overcoming

huge obstacles to share your work with the world. Without knowing who you are,

what you stand for, what you believe in and what you wish to say through your

personal self-expression, you become a spectator of your own life. Unseen.

Unspecific. Don’t worry so much if you haven’t figured it out yet. Or that your

opinions and passions might be wrong. Have them anyway. By exercising your

viewpoints about things, you start to move forward in the world, articulating a more

present, passionate, articulate and capable you. And with more you, comes so many

more powerful things, including your art.

3) Get out of LA. Or NYC. Or London. Or wherever you live. Take a trip. Change it up.

Get out of your routine. Science has shown the benefits of travel. Not only do you get

to eat fresh baguettes daily while in Paris, but you also change the wiring in your

brain. When we visit other locales, we see the world from a different perspective.

Namely, that of possibility. We become curious, excited, and open. That has a direct

correlation to the neurological wiring in your brain that creates new neural

pathways and allows you to see your life (and its challenges) from a new viewpoint.

Sometimes actors are scared to take a vacation because they say, “What will happen

if I miss a job while I’m away?” The benefits of going away for a weekend far

outweigh your sitting at home waiting for your phone to ring. So be brave and go

someplace new and see how it actually assists you in points 1 and 2 above. And you

might end up also falling in love and moving to a whole new city.

The post 3 Things I Learned Making a Movie in Paris appeared first on Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop.

We recently potty trained our two year old twins. It was, in short, …interesting. A messy and strangely enlightening experience. It struck me how easy it is to take for granted the commitment, concentration, awareness and surrender that goes into something that most of us don’t even remember learning. And how parallel the process of learning this very basic activity is to the process we go through as actors willing to leap into the unknown.

The very first step with my kiddos was to ditch the diapers. And we did. From one day to the next the comfort zone was gone. And we never went back. We made the commitment to stay the course instead of avoiding the mess by retreating back to what was familiar and comfortable. This must be the first commitment of the actor when taking our work and our life to the next level. Allow ourselves to completely step out of our comfort zone and not go back, but stay the course no matter what kind of messes comes to pass, no matter how many loads of dirty laundry there are to tend too. The new space can be safe and still uncomfortable and present a whole new opportunity for our life and our work.

The next step, as with our two little ones, is to begin to develop a whole new awareness of our bodies and the sensations that arise. Understanding new cues and negotiating new sensations, in our body, in our feelings, in our connection to others, opens entirely new possibilities in our lives as actors. It may be awkward at first. As a matter of fact, we may be terrible at it for a while. Fumbling, baffled, and, yes, messy. But as always, the mess becomes our magic.

Along with the new practice comes a certain protocol. Pants down, pants up, hands washed. We have may have mastered hand washing long ago but now we can learn new habits of being, feeling, expressing. Sometimes we may regress but if we stay committed then the habits will take hold and eventually become effortless, become a part of us.

Which takes us to the all important SURRENDER. At some point we just keep showing up and trust that the musculature of our being will continue to respond naturally and develop to support us. The body DESIRES full expression. If we give it the opportunity and trust our support system we will flourish and expand in to our fullest potential as artists.

As always. The key is to pay attention, stay present in our body and the moment, practice compassion and humor when we figuratively poop our pants, accept help and guidance from our support system and trust our true nature to rise up and show world what we truly are. Magnificent, complicated, messy and beautiful human beings!

The post Take Off That Emotional Diaper: Potty Training and the Creative Process appeared first on Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop.

Why do we cast ourselves in the bit role of our lives?

You’re a star.

You come from stars.

You’re made of star material.

A recent article in The Guardian revealed that astronomers have discovered by

computer simulations that “nearly half of the atoms that make up our bodies may

have formed beyond the Milky Way and travelled to the solar system on

intergalactic winds driven by giant exploding stars.”

What? Read that sentence again!

You’re not only made up of the exploding supernovas of the past, but also from

galaxies far, far away.

Good to know. We’re cosmic. We fly like the wind. We’re limitless.

But we forget this so often. If we come from infinite space, why do we relate to the

finite so much?

It’s simple. The stories we tell ourselves are more often tied to our past

transgressions, guilt, shame, traumas and challenges that we start to live our lives

from those limited experiences (and fears) rather than remembering we are also

simultaneously bigger than the limitations those narratives provide.

For sure my past experiences have made me who I am – both good and bad – but it’s

important to remember we have a choice in how we wish to move our narratives

forward. Make them work for us, rather than being stuck in a feedback loop of

depression and revisiting the past over and over in self-defeating ways.

I always like to say, if you don’t like the chapter you’re currently reading – turn the

page!

Just let the stuff go that’s holding you back. Negative self-judgments, outworn

stories, toxic relationships, unsupportive friends, demoralizing self-dialogues, self-

defeating habits, unkindness, whining, complaining, self-victimhood, blame.

Just breathe in and exhale out all of that stuff. Most of which, ironically, has actually

become neutralized now due to time plus healing and only gets rebooted because

we hold on to it. We let it define us. We trigger ourselves and the stories that come

with our past.

Stars don’t hold onto any of that shit when they’re exploding into new galaxies and

neither should you.

Just. Let. It. All. Go.

And be the star you are.

The post If You’re a ‘Star’ Then Why Do You Cast Yourself in the “Bit Role” of your Life? appeared first on Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop.

I was recently listening to the podcast Off-Camera with Sam Jones and his interview

with actress, Holly Hunter.

In it she talks about, how who we are in between takes – is how we want to be in the

take.

In other words, weâ€re not “acting”. We are simply being. But then the director shouts

“Action!” and we tense up, start “performing”, add layers of effort and try to “build a

character” and start to “do.”

If the goal is to not act, why is it so hard to simply be? Which involves not acting at

all?

The most difficult task you will ever face in life is to completely be who you are.

Accept who you are. Love who you are. Let a story be told from your point of view.

And embrace all parts of who you are. Which includes the parts we run away from,

hide, disguise and are disgusted by or frightened of.

The energy we give to what we think performance and creating is about – is really

energy that is to be utilized in simply being.

To be who we are is the beginning and end of all creative expression. If itâ€s always

you, why do we try to pretend to be someone weâ€re not?

I guess itâ€s easier. Itâ€s safer. It allows us to control things and operate an agenda.

Ms. Hunter goes on to say that the key to honest, exciting work is to, “Court the

unknown. Woo it.”

But the unknown doesnâ€t exist in places that we try to manipulate and control.

When we talk about the unknown weâ€re talking about literally existing in places

where we donâ€t know whatâ€s going to happen in the next moment.

Like life.

Which is terrifying for every single human being on the planet.

The world we seem to be experiencing right now demonstrates a level of chaos that

erupts as a reaction to the unknown-ness of the moment. That can be scary at a

mass level because weâ€re also then dealing with millions of other peopleâ€s reactions

to the unknown.

And everyone reacts differently. Which is, most people freak out! And in other cases,

sadly, they react violently.

This is what contributes to chaos. At some level, everyone is reacting to their fear of

the unknown and thereby taking action in ways, that in so doing, they feel they will

be safer, more protected or have more control.

If we exert our power, we will be in control. If we marginalize others, we will be in

control. If we threaten or bully, we will be in control. If we intimidate, we will be in

control. We see this demonstrated from the highest level of government in our

country, to individual hate groups marching in the streets, to state and federal

policies and laws passed that strip away peopleâ€s basic human rights.

Collectively, it can be damaging and painful.

So, we, as individuals – in our own lives – work toward a greater acceptance of

letting go. (This doesnâ€t mean we donâ€t stand up for important moral and social

causes.) It simply means, on a daily basis, we work toward letting go of the small

things that cause disruption in our own lives because they canâ€t be controlled.

And, then, as artists, we try to work within this framework to allow more freedom

and empowerment to come out of these moments when we let go of trying to “make

something happen” and instead allow things to happen to us.

Itâ€s counterintuitive, I know. Iâ€ve just explained how itâ€s human nature to exert

control pretty much everywhere in our lives. Just watch yourself on a daily basis. We

are all control monsters. And yet, the aspect in our work (and life) that creates the

most excitement and creativity is when we allow things unplanned and unscripted

to take us to places not yet traversed.

The easiest way to get there is simply remembering the laws of the Universe itself.

We are living on a rock spinning around in the middle of dark matter in a galaxy that

is dwarfed by the billions of other galaxies in infinite space.

We. Have. No. Control.

Good to know.

The post Who You are When You’re Not ‘Acting’ is the Acting We Want appeared first on Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop.

I was recently listening to the podcast Off-Camera with Sam Jones and his interview

with actress, Holly Hunter.

In it she talks about, how who we are in between takes – is how we want to be in the

take.

In other words, we’re not “acting”. We are simply being. But then the director shouts

“Action!” and we tense up, start “performing”, add layers of effort and try to “build a

character” and start to “do.”

If the goal is to not act, why is it so hard to simply be? Which involves not acting at

all?

The most difficult task you will ever face in life is to completely be who you are.

Accept who you are. Love who you are. Let a story be told from your point of view.

And embrace all parts of who you are. Which includes the parts we run away from,

hide, disguise and are disgusted by or frightened of.

The energy we give to what we think performance and creating is about – is really

energy that is to be utilized in simply being.

To be who we are is the beginning and end of all creative expression. If it’s always

you, why do we try to pretend to be someone we’re not?

I guess it’s easier. It’s safer. It allows us to control things and operate an agenda.

Ms. Hunter goes on to say that the key to honest, exciting work is to, “Court the

unknown. Woo it.”

But the unknown doesn’t exist in places that we try to manipulate and control.

When we talk about the unknown we’re talking about literally existing in places

where we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next moment.

Like life.

Which is terrifying for every single human being on the planet.

The world we seem to be experiencing right now demonstrates a level of chaos that

erupts as a reaction to the unknown-ness of the moment. That can be scary at a

mass level because we’re also then dealing with millions of other people’s reactions

to the unknown.

And everyone reacts differently. Which is, most people freak out! And in other cases,

sadly, they react violently.

This is what contributes to chaos. At some level, everyone is reacting to their fear of

the unknown and thereby taking action in ways, that in so doing, they feel they will

be safer, more protected or have more control.

If we exert our power, we will be in control. If we marginalize others, we will be in

control. If we threaten or bully, we will be in control. If we intimidate, we will be in

control. We see this demonstrated from the highest level of government in our

country, to individual hate groups marching in the streets, to state and federal

policies and laws passed that strip away people’s basic human rights.

Collectively, it can be damaging and painful.

So, we, as individuals – in our own lives – work toward a greater acceptance of

letting go. (This doesn’t mean we don’t stand up for important moral and social

causes.) It simply means, on a daily basis, we work toward letting go of the small

things that cause disruption in our own lives because they can’t be controlled.

And, then, as artists, we try to work within this framework to allow more freedom

and empowerment to come out of these moments when we let go of trying to “make

something happen” and instead allow things to happen to us.

It’s counterintuitive, I know. I’ve just explained how it’s human nature to exert

control pretty much everywhere in our lives. Just watch yourself on a daily basis. We

are all control monsters. And yet, the aspect in our work (and life) that creates the

most excitement and creativity is when we allow things unplanned and unscripted

to take us to places not yet traversed.

The easiest way to get there is simply remembering the laws of the Universe itself.

We are living on a rock spinning around in the middle of dark matter in a galaxy that

is dwarfed by the billions of other galaxies in infinite space.

We. Have. No. Control.

Good to know.

The post Who You are When You’re Not ‘Acting’ is the Acting We Want appeared first on Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop.

A couple years ago I asked people to take the “No Complaining Challenge” to see how long they could go without complaining. Sounds simple enough. But it isnâ€t. And I think most of us failed.

Take The (Almost) Impossible 7-Day Challenge

Complaining, it seems, is one of those habits thatâ€s hard-wired into our being human. And the more we do it, the harder it is to shake ourselves free from this tendency that erodes our happiness and I think is more based in comparison “I should be more successful,” “I should have more followers,” than fact.

Elizabeth Gilbert mentions the problems with complaining in relation to being an artist in her book, Big Magic. She brings up a number of points (below) that I want to expand on.

1) If it were easy (being an artist) everyone would be doing it. But itâ€s not, so shut up. I mean, really, thatâ€s the gist of it. We have chosen this experience. We have decided to live our lives pursuing acting or writing or singing. If you hate it, get out. If you donâ€t, then take heart that youâ€re one of the brave ones who is attempting to do it in the first place.

2) Complaining is just boring. I donâ€t know how my friends put up with me. Maybe they do because as soon as Iâ€m done bitching about my “problems” they chime in with theirs. It becomes a complaining conference. Try to do it less and call your friends on it as well. You might discover you have nothing else to talk about and sit in wonderful silence instead.

3) Ms. Gilbert mentions that each time you complain, inspiration takes flight and doesnâ€t come back because thereâ€s no room for both to co-exist. I canâ€t be in inspiration and complaint at the same time. I also have found that there seems to be more and more behaviors that rob me of my inspiration in the same way. Reading Facebook newsfeeds, getting lost in the Instagram wormhole, comparing my life to someone elseâ€s (mostly those presented on social media). I always called it “Compare-and-Despair-ism.” But I think we should add a new step. “Compare-Complain-Despair-Explain.”

4) Complaining keeps you stuck. It just more firmly establishes roots where you donâ€t want them. And over time youâ€re going to be in trouble because those roots will be so deep you wonâ€t be able to dig them out.

5) I think we complain as some sort of justification of our lives. That weâ€re not as talented or successful or awesome as we think we should be (or actually are). So we rationalize or excuse or justify our lives away. You have nothing – ever – to defend about who you are or where you are in life.

Basically, what would we discover if we just stopped complaining?

That our lives are pretty damn great.

The post Take the “No Complain Challenge” Part 2 appeared first on Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop.

A couple years ago I asked people to take the “No Complaining Challenge” to see how long they could go without complaining. Sounds simple enough. But it isn’t. And I think most of us failed.

Take The (Almost) Impossible 7-Day Challenge

Complaining, it seems, is one of those habits that’s hard-wired into our being human. And the more we do it, the harder it is to shake ourselves free from this tendency that erodes our happiness and I think is more based in comparison “I should be more successful,” “I should have more followers,” than fact.

Elizabeth Gilbert mentions the problems with complaining in relation to being an artist in her book, Big Magic. She brings up a number of points (below) that I want to expand on.

1) If it were easy (being an artist) everyone would be doing it. But it’s not, so shut up. I mean, really, that’s the gist of it. We have chosen this experience. We have decided to live our lives pursuing acting or writing or singing. If you hate it, get out. If you don’t, then take heart that you’re one of the brave ones who is attempting to do it in the first place.

2) Complaining is just boring. I don’t know how my friends put up with me. Maybe they do because as soon as I’m done bitching about my “problems” they chime in with theirs. It becomes a complaining conference. Try to do it less and call your friends on it as well. You might discover you have nothing else to talk about and sit in wonderful silence instead.

3) Ms. Gilbert mentions that each time you complain, inspiration takes flight and doesn’t come back because there’s no room for both to co-exist. I can’t be in inspiration and complaint at the same time. I also have found that there seems to be more and more behaviors that rob me of my inspiration in the same way. Reading Facebook newsfeeds, getting lost in the Instagram wormhole, comparing my life to someone else’s (mostly those presented on social media). I always called it “Compare-and-Despair-ism.” But I think we should add a new step. “Compare-Complain-Despair-Explain.”

4) Complaining keeps you stuck. It just more firmly establishes roots where you don’t want them. And over time you’re going to be in trouble because those roots will be so deep you won’t be able to dig them out.

5) I think we complain as some sort of justification of our lives. That we’re not as talented or successful or awesome as we think we should be (or actually are). So we rationalize or excuse or justify our lives away. You have nothing – ever – to defend about who you are or where you are in life.

Basically, what would we discover if we just stopped complaining?

That our lives are pretty damn great.

The post Take the “No Complain Challenge” Part 2 appeared first on Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop.

Let’s face it. Sometimes it can feel like we are under constant assault. A steady stream of people with unsolicited opinions of who you are, what you should be doing, how you should feel, think, vote, or believe. You’re too far left, you’re too far right, you’re too in the middle. You’re too thin, or too fat, too pretty or too ugly. We get good at shaking off the haters, pulling the drawstrings of our hoodies and focusing straight ahead, building up walls of protection around our minds, hearts, and bodies.

We develop a sense of humor, making everything a joke so we can keep the world at arms distance. This distance gives us a perspective, yes, but it also alienates us and makes us feel more alone. The walls get taller, and we lock the gates, looking down on the world from a place of isolation and safety.

Then something happens. We start to notice that the interior is becoming weak- the beautiful spirit we built these walls to protect becomes dark, shrivelled up, and twisted. Before long, we no longer feel like the king or queen of the castle; we become prisoners.

What then? The solution is scary, because it involves a deal of risk. But it is the only way out. You have to let people in. That’s it. Throw open the gates, bust the locks, break down the walls, and let them in. Even the people you don’t like. Even the people who disagree with you. Even the people who’ve hurt you, and especially the people you’ve hurt.

If you do this, something amazing can start to happen. The people you let in will begin to let their own defenses down. Maybe not at first, and maybe not everyone. Maybe some people you let in will fail to accept such an extraordinary gift, but most will. And they’ll let others into their space. That is the only way we will heal. As people and a society.

And by no means is this an easy feat. I have practiced this for years, and yet I still shut down my heart, close it off from those who love me and those who don’t in equal measure. Dozens of times, on a daily basis. It’s the story of human history, and it will continue to be a struggle for as long as mankind exists. Open-heartedness, connection, sharing – these qualities move us from merely existing to truly living.  

The poet William Blake once said, “If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite.” If we let down our defenses, tear down our walls, and remove the barriers that keep us separate from each other, we step into infinite love. The rubble of the walls that were broken become seats at a massive banquet where all are welcome, everything is understood, and all is forgiven.

We aren’t there yet. But the work is there waiting for us. Step into your vulnerability. Look people in the eye with openness. Smile. Connect.

That’s how you Let. People. In.

Actors in the video: Mason Trueblood and Cece Paige

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