From time to time, I find myself thinking about concepts that are common but seldom used. One of them is what we call "willingness." Interestingly, the dictionary definition and etymology of the word explain its origins quite well, as well as the fact that it is something innate. They don't quite consider the concept as an attribute that doesn't exist but can be acquired. In other words, disposition, if you don't have it, can be acquired. That is, it is an attribute or quality that can be "cultivated" and that has the potential to transform our responses to events and, in general, to the so-called reality we experience every day. 

This disposition or willingness is a kind of frequency I can adopt when facing situations, especially difficult ones. It allows me to respond differently than usual, because I can stop my compulsive reactions and find myself with this internal disposition to understand, to see beyond what I am accustomed to seeing.

In the book "Silo's Message," Chapter 2, entitled "Disposition to Comprehend," some things are explained regarding this topic. One of the points that has most helped me to deepen this disposition is number 3, which proposes the following: "If you ask me what attitude is appropriate, I will tell you that it is to meditate profoundly and without haste on what is explained here."

Regarding meditation, it has little to do - at least for me - with closing my eyes or assuming a special posture or being in a specific physical place. For me, to meditate is to reflect in the moment and afterward. Meditation is a reflective attitude, a way of questioning myself about what I perceive, feel, do, or think. In meditation, I consider external objects and my internal responses. I am interested in both because it couldn't be otherwise. Sometimes this reflective or meditative attitude leads me to study more deeply what I believe or what I want to know. Such study leads me to reflect again, and thus I deepen my understanding by alternating between study and reflection. All this inner work helps me create an attitude, a necessary disposition that I don't normally have, and I've discovered that I can develop it by repeating this process many times. I call this "cultivating" my disposition or willingness.

Regarding meditating without haste, I can only say that it is an effort I always need to make. It is an effort to not seek results, an effort to not get distracted, and an effort to quiet the inner noise. Again, I find that this transforms into an attitude of letting go of expectations, of silencing compulsions, of developing patience, etc., and that this too can be cultivated.

This willingness that I can generate helps me greatly to maintain a kind of enjoyment and interest in everything that appears in my life, and it is something that I feel is new, and also very useful, in my relationships and in the effort to better understand myself and the world I live in.

April 2026

Translated by Trudi Richards

Art by Rafael Edwards