Vigilance: Keeping watch over one’s heart and actions and applying oneself with careful attention to one’s responsibilities, neither overly anxious and uptight about one’s duties nor distracted by other things.
Vigilance Reflection by George Dupray, DSW, LICSW, Assistant Professor, Master of Social Work Program
What are you looking out for this week?
In my clinical social work practice, this is a question I consider with my clients at the end of most sessions. An important part of the therapeutic process for many people involves a kind of attention-training. Our bodies and brains are often well-tuned to looking out for
threats and problems in daily life, but sometimes this protective process overwhelms our ability to also perceive the joy and hope that surrounds us. The question, then, comes as invitation for balance in our brains and bodies.
In his writings on the virtues of educators in the Lasallian tradition, Brother Agathon likewise invites us to fine-tune our attention. We who are entrusted with the care and education of our students are called to vigilance, defined here as: keeping watch over one’s heart and actions and applying oneself with careful attention to one’s responsibilities, neither overly anxious and uptight about one’;s duties nor distracted by other things.
We note here that vigilance is not just a state of being; rather, it is a discipline of careful attention and a commitment to applied action. Such attention and action can be easily sidelined in the course of a busy semester when we have gradebooks, Zoom invites, and emails that demand our focus. It may be easy to become anxious about our duties or, conversely, to seek distraction from the tasks that await. But the gift and promise before us is this: as we cultivate this vigilant focus on our work, the joy and power of education is revealed to us. Our students are changing their lives every day by pursuing education, and we have the honor of participating in their transforming work.
May we all tune our brains today to the joyful work before us.
