Sunday, February 17, 2013

Squinting to see

We stub our toe with something–a toy, a misplaced box, a chair in the way, and all our problems rise to the surface. We curse while we limp finding who's to blame for whatever we stubbed our toe on. Then we go on to list all the things that annoy us, all the problems we have, all the reasons why something is not working out. We lose perspective.

In the grand scheme of things, the mess in the way is just a mess. Stubbing our toe is no one's fault. It's an accident. There are real problems in the world: hunger, poverty, abuse, slavery, war. Scaled down to our communities, we find some of these real problems as well. There are children in our towns who only eat at school for there's nothing to eat at home. There are mothers and fathers around us who are unemployed and are desperate to provide for their families. There are women who are being beaten cleverly by their partners in ways you and I will not notice in order to control them. I could go on, but I am sure you understand the point. There is real suffering go on.

When we squint, we do so to protect our eyes, but we also do it to see more clearly and to put somethings into focus. Squinting to see, we create a balance between the smaller issues of life and the big picture. We narrow our view to respond to what is happening at the moment appropriately within the bigger scope of life. Squinting to see allows us to understand, too, others and their circumstances. We become more empathetic and patient, we don't miss the forest for the trees.

Today is a good day to put things into perspective. As you do, you de-stress and relax for you sense the difference between what is a big deal and what is not.


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