Heart Reading … Day 66
To see or not to see — that is the question.
What does it take to see “the invisible” — the subtle emotional nuances in conversations, the little grace-filled wonders, and the seeds of joy all around us?
What does it take to embrace the “negative” emotions of others — to be in the thick of things with others — without losing “sight” of the grander picture?
This Heart Reading daily practice is my effort to keep seeing the essence of nature, the “things” that make all the difference in the world — not just my world but the emotional wellbeing of others I communicate with and the overall wellbeing of others who may be impacted by my actions, my choices.
I ponder rather frequently about the differences between opposing forces: right and left, democrat and republican kind of forces, but also simple differences, like what makes one person’s disposition different than another’s, and potential shifts in dispositions due to any number of subtle variables — looks, nonverbal expressions, tone of voice and sounds we make to express pleasure and displeasure.
Miscommunication is a serious challenge for everyone and even with all the time and space we might be able to “carve” out of a day, lasting eradication of miscommunication is impossible even if it were desirable.
How we handle miscommunication is what matters. If we can drop into our hearts and state our perspective on things as best as we can, while expecting nothing more than the same from whomever else is involved in a miscommunication, we will always begin an intervention or reconciliation from a “good” place. I believe the key issue is the fact that none of our “best” is the same. One person’s best words may be heard as blame by the other.
A clash of our bests will set the stage for the amount of time and space required for us to regain our balance in relationship(s).
Shakespeare famously pondered the choice to live life fully … or not. But in order to be (or not to be) one needs to be able to see (or not to see). An aspect of “being” is seeing.
I was in a retail store earlier today and had walked in absentmindedly without a mask. It was great to see most people wearing one as it seems to me to be a symbol of both self care and respect for others. I know people on both sides of the political “aisle” who are in strong support of masking and people on both sides of the aisle who are against masking. I believe there is much more that unites these seemingly polarized positions than what divides them.
Spending time to consider opposing perspectives is easier to do in a diverse community than it is by oneself. I say this as I am recalling how my “hackles” went up earlier today when someone described my favorite news source as one-sided.
- I wish I and everyone else were more comfortable pausing to entertain opinions that clashed with our own.
- I wish I and everyone else were less conditioned to agree with others even when we are clear that we hold a differing opinion.
- I wish I and everyone else were more clear and confident (yet also gentle and graceful) about our opinions of important things.
If we were all to actively and honestly work every day to make our best better, how could we not together build some of the most beautiful and resilient “bridges” that could span our scariest and most challenging emotionally-charged differences of opinions?
