I feel isolated much of the time. Standoffish. Most people, I don’t feel much inclination to get to know them.
I frequently feel lonely in a crowd. I’ll go to a conference one weekend and there might be only one or two people there (out of 500) that I connect with intensely. I’m attracted to a certain type of person — an intellectual. People who don’t read books, they don’t usually interest me.
So I was quite happy to hear the other day in shul from a stranger who turned out to not read books that I have a friendly face.
I think that by letting go of needless tension, I’ve let go of some barriers that I had erected between myself and others and so I’ve become more alive to the moment. When your forehead is furrowed and the skin around your eyes and lips is contracted and tight, you’re going to be set in certain facial postures, which will inhibit your ability to react freely in the moment.
When you let go of postures, you’re much more free. Your face will reveal what you’re thinking and feeling.
