As WE are, not as THEY are

[sue]

Anais Nin wrote: We don't see things as THEY are, we see things as WE are.

As I was thinking about that this morning I realized that I make judgments about people and situations based on my past interactions with them. As I look out of myself at the world and at other people I can't help but color that view with my past experiences and my unique understanding of the world. Based on some very complex mix of my own bias at that moment, my personal history and my interpretation of your actions during our meeting, I make a judgment about you. Once that judgment is made it acts as another factor in the way I will see you every other time we meet. What a sad state of affairs that might be if we do not immediately harmonize! Without some other factor to help me refine that vision, put mistakes (yours and mine) in perspective, and allow the space for you to change and grow and for me to reevaluate how I see you, we are doomed to an ever worsening set of interactions.

As I change and grow I can hopefully allow others in my life to do the same. I am not the same person today that I was yesterday so why do I expect others not to change at an equal rate? I suppose we will always use our experiential knowledge as a foundation for our interactions, but with practice maybe we can more and more begin each meeting of acquaintances with with fresh outlook and look beyond ourselves into the reality of the person we are with. When Baha'u'llah wrote that mankind is one and that we were created to be noble, I think that makes me responsible to realize that my view of others must be tempered with that very profound reality, not just painted by my imperfect view of them from behind the millions of veils of my own experience.

[Tamara]

Dear Sue ,

the interesting thing about change and growth is when someone is growing,dreaming moving onward and upwards we may see where we are stuck in our own lives.One thing I have come to realize is that when I change and an opportunity for learning a lesson or growth is provided and I take it,I might not like the feeling from it, I may even be looked at differently by others.I cannot make people understand me,or get me nor is it my duty.As an artist I create,re-invent,change,do a bunch of things that may confuse others.As I realize my growth spurt is occurring and I may be looked at differently instead of being seen as a creative human being put here on earth at this time to create.

I remember Counselor Stephen Birkland saying “ fix your gaze on the horizon”. All I can do is fix my gaze on the horizon and look forward not look to the sides and be distracted by all the things that are going on.I must put all people into the noble being category and make a practice of thinking that in all situations,which I know will be a life long journey.

As I read the word harmonize in your post it stuck out for me.Harmonizing to me has different meanings, in the dictionary it has a few of course.One being agreement or concord.The ones I love are -the quality of forming a pleasing and consistent whole : (eg.delightful cities where old) and also add notes to (a melody) to produce harmony. I kind of see the revelation as the melody and humanity as the harmony

I am going to use some jazz musical terminology to explain ☺so just bare with me..

We are all different notes being played in one giant chord.We have a basic chord structure - root ,third, fifth and seventh and then to alter the chord a bit we have other options of a 9th,11th and 13th.And yet this isn’t it, we have flat and sharp versions of these also.It is the beauty of humanity and all the notes that give us so much to learn from.

I view life as a painting or as music and that may just be because that is what I do ,it's my passion in life….and I find it difficult to separate my passion and my life and that is where I realize that my lifes work is just that,my passion.

I always enjoy your thought provoking posts. I want to end with one of my favorite quotes of Anais Nin, I think about it this one everyday ☺ The reason I think about it is because I have been called a dreamer and stubborn but in a negative sense,and my rebuttal to that comment is always..”you say that like it’s a bad thing!” ☺

Pe@ce and love~Tamara

"Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living."