Rasur, Teacher of Connection
Adapted from the Costa Rican poem “Rasur” by Roberto Brenes Mesén
Rasur Foundation International envisions a world where people discover positive solutions to challenges, connect peacefully with each other and celebrate life. This vision was inspired by the epic poem, Rasur or Week of Splendor, translated from Spanish to English at this link. The story is summarized below:
One day, ages ago in Costa Rica, in the village of Quizur, all the children suddenly disappeared! A mysterious teacher named Rasur had silently called them into a mountain and was teaching them about the hidden treasures in their hearts. His words revealed how to live from compassion and wisdom, in harmony with others and with nature. Soon the children felt connected to each other and to all of life.
After realizing the youngsters were missing, the parents searched the countryside, calling for them. They heard them singing inside the mountain, and they looked for a hillside entrance but didn’t find one. Instead, they had a timeless moment when their painful memories were erased and their innocence was restored
At day’s end the children emerged, radiant with joy, and told their parents what they had learned from Rasur. Now the adults were reassured that their children were safe and were having an extraordinary experience in this unique classroom. They allowed the children to go back every day and, in the evening, would hear what their sons and daughters had learned.
Before long, the empathy of the villagers created a culture of peace; now people walked arm in arm and sat beneath trees to listen to each other. Insights soon led to a wave of creativity – an artist was painting a magnificent landscape of the mountains, and the musicians were playing symphonies that could take your breath away. Young people were creating vegetable gardens that looked like works of art, and the women’s embroidery depicted the beauty of life.
At week’s end, Rasur said he had to teach other children in the world. The children cried, “Oh no, don’t go!” Rasur replied, “Don’t worry. If you miss me, just bend your ear down to your heart and you’ll know I’m there.”
The children cried, “Oh no, don’t go!” Rasur replied, “Don’t worry. Just bend your ear down to your heart and you’ll know I’m there, just like everyone else that you love.”
The children came out of the mountain one last time and told their parents that Rasur had traveled on. They all began to talk about the meaning of this visit. One of the men said, “Before directing the lightning in the sky, we must first harness the storms in our own hearts.” They all agreed. Rasur had shown the way to live from compassion and wisdom, and the people of Quizur had been inspired to follow his lead. Now they knew how to live from the heart, an awareness that would be passed to each new generation.
This tale illustrates the power of connection. While modern life is a far cry from this idyllic village, connection has been shown to be the most essential ingredient for a healthy society. If people were schooled in the art of connection, we could resolve challenges without unnecessary suffering and use our strengths to thrive.
This is now possible. Rita Marie Johnson developed the Connection Practice, a combination of empathy and insight that leads to greater harmony and creativity in daily life. Self-empathy and empathy for others is attained by identifying feelings and needs. Insight is accessed through a physiological state called heart-brain coherence.