“This is good and that is bad!”
Have you noticed how much your mind judges? On a simple level it evaluates everything: the challenges in your life, the people, places, buildings, objects, the weather, news stories, and on and on. It says “This is good, that is bad, this is okay, that is not okay.”
This reminded me of a well-known fable…
Four blind Indian men were out walking along the road one day when they bumped into a large object which was blocking their way. “It’s a huge snake!” said the first man…
“No, no, you’re wrong: it’s a wall,” said the second…
“Both of you are mistaken,” said the third, “It’s a tree trunk.”…
And finally the fourth man said, “What are you all talking about: it’s a length of rope!”…
When we judge something that happened in our life as bad, someone else may just as likely see that as good. We’re acting like the blind men, interpreting the world through our filters. However neither person is right: that was just an event: neither positive or negative. When we step back and take off our blindfold and see, listing all the upsides and downsides, we see the bigger picture, and experience wisdom: we have transcended the illusion, and we feel love and gratitude for what is. So take a look at your life now: who do you see as ‘bad’ in your life? Who was absolutely in the wrong? What occurrence in your past was a negative event? Equally, when you are faced today or in the future with an event that you would normally feel charged about, step back and ask yourself: what else is going on here? Looking at what I perceive now, how else can I view this event? If you’re willing to take time to look at any or all of these more deeply, you will most likely have some blinding (!) insights. And you will end up feeling more tolerant of others’ viewpoint, which will help your relationships become more harmonious. Let me know how you get on with this. What are your comments on this article? What are you still judging as ‘bad’? I’d love to know! (I’ll also send you an exclusive ebook and mp3 that’s not on this site or available in any other way apart from submitting a message.) All the cartoons on this page are (c) Ché Hargreaves, commissioned by Chris Payne. Please do not use without express permission. Back to Free Articles