How we view the world and the people in it depends on our internal filter. A filter constructed from our experiences and understanding, from the flow or otherwise of our nervous system, and from the surroundings we live in.
2 people viewing the same event will see and experience it in different ways. 2 people having the apparently same experience will view it in different ways. The impact will differ depending on many factors and on the internal lens.
Balance and duality and truth to me is the key.
2 things, and more, can be true at the same time.
A kind person can also be or have been cruel.
A place of danger can be seen as a place of safety.
A smile can hide cruel intentions.
A gift can be a trade.
Success can feel like failure.
Perceived failure can open the doors to opportunity.
A local hero can do terrible things
A villain can help people
Family can mean control
Control can lead to freedom
Inspirational people can cause harm
Freedom can be found in our chains
Masks deceive but also protect
A friend can also be a foe
People can do evil things yet be an angel to others
Hope can mislead as well as inspire
Harsh words can come from a place of kindness
Discomfort can be a cure
Tenderness can be painful
Life is full of duality and contradiction. Many truths can exist at the same time. It’s okay to feel confused. It’s okay to recognise the conflict within.
Beauty is often not where or what we once expected.
Community can be foundational and fractured.
The truth can feel fake.
Congratulations aren’t always based in appreciation.
Connection isn’t always belonging.
Hypocrisy and sincerity coexist.
Forgiveness is based in and shaped by blame.
Judgements reveal our own mirrors, stories deep within.
Our instincts are there to protect us. Even when balancing the scales of what we see with what we know, what we already know with what others suggest, trust those instincts and look to what they are trying to say.
How to find the balance.
Look within.
Sit with the uncertainty,
the hit of frustration and fear.
Challenge the initial doubt with evidence
and compassion.
Soothe the anger with forgiveness and empathy.
Find your own truth.
The truth that feels right, feels safe,
sets you free and does no harm.
Trust your instincts and release control.
Find humour in the complexity of life, of people. Remember duality exists within us all.
Forgive the contradictions and look to the truth.
Follow your truth as closely as you can, in words and actions, in the recognition and release of your thoughts and in the acceptance of your emotions.
Smile. It’s a crazy life, sometimes nothing makes sense and in that moment maybe that’s a good thing.