Alexis Collins

Theatre Voice

Final Paper

Meditation in Theatre and Life

This quarter, we spent a lot of time practicing meditation through our so-named dynamics

warmups. As well as boosting metabolism, and relaxing us from tension, the dynamics warmups

were also a time to focus, and align our hearts and minds with the bigger picture. In Richard

Fosters excerpt, he talks about how superficial our lives have become. It is true, that we, as a

society, value that which we can quantify. If it does not contribute to GDP in some way, it is

considered without value. Therefore, we have given priority to extrinsic goods, at the cost of

intrinsic goods. All the same, there is something of great value in the practice of meditation, when

it is done appropriately.

On a fundamental level, I think Richard Foster has the idea right. At first, I was resistant

to the idea of meditation given its Eastern spiritualist ties. I felt he provides a strong case when he

states, Whenever the Christian idea of meditation is taken seriously, there are those who assume

it is synonymous with the concept of meditation centered in Eastern religions[but] Eastern

meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind.
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This distinction, combined with the undeniably visible evidence of meditation as a practice in the

Bible helped me to widen my understanding. While I remained on the fence regarding the practice

of meditation, I happened to hear a sermon by a preacher I hold in high-esteem who explained that

we meditate all the time. Whenever we think about someone who was rude to us, and let that ruin

our day, that is a form of meditation. It is largely an unadulterated focus on something.

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 I feel that Richard Foster does justice to the idea of meditation. However, I did sense some

level of cultural homogenization in the excerpt provided for class. He states, When the Disciplines

degenerate into law, they are used to manipulate and control people We take explicit commands

and us them to imprison others[quoting Tolstoy]Everyone thinks of changing humanity, and

nobody thinks of changing himself.2 I see this point and commend it. However, as with all scales,

it tips when given weight on either end. We live in a very atomized society, and church has become

a place where everyone experiences God for themselves. This has led to an ignorance of passages

like, Proverbs 27:17, that iron sharpens iron. The parable of the man with the plank in his eye is

not about inaction, but having judgement for appropriate action. I think meditation is one of the

ways of getting there, and I do believe Fosters requisite for focus on the Bible is also helpful. To

recognize ones hypocrisies, one must also be in open communion with God. However, this step

is not an ends for itself. As part of a Christian community, we should not be afraid to speak with

conviction, and provide Biblical grounds for our beliefs. Matthew seven talks about how narrow

the way of righteousness is. In order to have ideas that are more than just affirmations about how

right we are, we need to be open to discussion as well as introspection.

As practice of Christianity benefits from focused meditation, art also requires a strong

focus. I find that, as a performer, I perform best when I have spent a good while focusing on

something in my life comparable to a given acting situation. When I come into rehearsals without

first taking a substantial time to focus, my performance is always flighty. However, one problem

that arises is when a performance requires swift mental and character changes. Sometimes we

simply do not have the time to allocate towards our strongest meditation on our character.

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 In practice, I feel meditation is harder and harder the more I try to challenge myself. I put

a serious strain on my life that offers very little repose. When I try to meditate, I frequently fall

asleep. I suppose one important element of meditation, which Foster only implies, is strength to

say no. Not just short term nos like deciding to mediate rather than watch TV, but also long

term nos like knowing your limitations as a human being, and not taking 20 credit loads, while

commuting 4 hours daily, and then working when I get home. A huge part of the battle is actually

finding time to meditate in a world that so values productivity.

Ultimately, I find that no thing in life is worth doing if there is no reason for it. God, and

what He accomplished for me through His son, motivates me to get up in the morning. That

motivates me to try to convey ideas through my art. Without centering myself on Christ in my

every day, there is an emptiness in what I do. I suppose Foster was right, Christian meditation is

about filling the mind. The Bible frequently refers to us as vessels, and rather than remaining

empty, I would like to be filled with the Spirit.

Works Cited

Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. 3rd ed. HarperCollins

Publishers Inc. 1998.