Pain and Love In You

There will be times in our lives we will be delighted by those that see the good in us and there will be times in our lives we will be disappointed by those that only see what is not good in us. Which perspective is accurate and is it right or wrong? 

This is limited thinking in action on all accounts.

We are more than any one person can truly take in unless that person is incredibly self-aware and near fully self-actualized which not a lot of humanity can claim. So, what does this mean in terms of those who choose to see the good or the bad in us? In terms of who we really are?...Nothing.

We each will see in others what we filter through our own life experiences. If we’ve not done the work to identify what places those filters firmly in place, we will not see accurately either in the positive or the negative.

 Maybe a better way to understand is not just in terms of what is good or what is bad but rather in terms of who and what resonates with us in a moment and who and what does not.

 Our lives and the things we have lived through will shape our beliefs and perspectives to a degree that will limit our vision of a good number of things. While this may be a fact we must understand and contend with if we wish to grow, there are ways we can strive for the truth and that truth is in feeling. I’m not talking about emotion and I’ve written about this in many of my works.

The feeling part of us is much deeper than emotion and is more akin to the likes of our souls for the sake of easier reference. At this level we can “feel” the truth about ourselves, a situation or others. We just need to learn to take the time in silence and learn to feel what we feel most deeply. If we can do this, we can come to better understand where people are in their development and that is really a more curious and positive way to look at situations and people rather than the required black and white of good or bad.

You see, we are all in various stages of emotional, intellectual and moral development. If we could understand this, we could learn to hold the same compassion for others that we would hold for a child learning what they do not yet know and that we have already come to understand.

This just takes a willingness to step outside of the framework of control, labeling and comparing. It’s not an easy thing to learn. But when you do, you free yourself to move through this world with greater authenticity, more compassion and infinitely more love and curiosity. There is both pain and love within us and these are the filters that shape our vision. What do you think shapes the vision of others? Can you wager a guess or try to understand? If you can, you’ve just made a huge leap towards your own development. Just some food for thought.

© 2015 Jaie Hart (photo/words)