Dear Loyola Faculty and Staff,
Every day around here, we struggle with difficult decisions – the agonizing kind that leaves you so exhausted with decision fatigue you can’t possibly decide what to eat for dinner that night. Most of us, without really knowing it, reach for aspects of the Jesuit principles of discernment, the practices that Pope Francis deems the most important contribution of his Jesuit order.
I can only scratch the surface of discernment here, but I’ll tell you what strikes me most right now. First and foremost, to make a good decision, you must stop and give it the time it deserves. (By that, I don’t mean forming a committee to talk endlessly about the simplest of choices, but to recognize when a decision really matters and avoid rushing to judgment.)
We also must really dig into the problem itself. Fr. Joseph Tetlow, S.J. (now permanently known around here as Uncle Joe) has taken to giving me the following Yoda-like advice: “The solution to the crisis can be found inside the crisis.” Here is what I think he means. It doesn’t work to apply the general principle – the outside answer – to complicated problems. We must examine the specifics of our situation and learn from the problem itself, in all its thorny complexity.
In other words, before we can find the answers, we need to seek out more information and insight. To listen, really listen, requires that we:
- stop talking ourselves (a struggle for me sometimes);
- seek out information from more than just our usual echo chambers – to bravely reach out to the truth-tellers who will be blunt and honest with us (but if you are one of those truth-tellers, I refer you back to the previous point);
- be self-aware – learn the filters and biases that keep us from taking in what we hear;
- remain open, try not to let our defenses get triggered and shut down;
- and finally – to seek out different kinds of facts and arguments than we’re used to. If you are an analytical person, listen to the impact on people. If you’re an empath, consider the data and hard facts.
But – all that input can make things seem even more complicated and leave you with an endless committee meeting inside your own head. How, then, do you decide?
Much of Jesuit discernment comes down to this – once you’ve listened hard, gathered insights and spent time prayerfully considering the options, trust your gut. Try on each possible option in your mind and measure how it feels. Ignatius believed, in a way that was very counterculture centuries ago, that there is real value in the instincts of our hearts. I’m mixing many anatomical metaphors here, but we check in with our minds, bodies and spirits.
The Jesuits use the old-fashioned word “consolation,” but it fits. The right thing to do also feels right. It consoles us.
Thank you for all of the hard decisions you make for Loyola, and for doing it with patience, courage and wisdom.
Stay tuned…
Tania Tetlow
President
