Tuesday, November 12, 2024
OPINION - THOUGHTS, PERCEPTIONS, AND INSIGHTS
Interesting where thoughts, perceptions and insights, come from, and, how altering one can change an entire outlook.
Despite years of studying human nature, trying to be mature and reasonable things, and learning several methods of "letting go", including meditation (which I first began practicing in high school), I used to take a lot of things personally.Somebody would say or do something, not even directed at me, or arising out of my actions, and I would feel personally involved... in a bad way. Even just "events" pushed personal buttons.
This created a lot of unnecessary frustration, anger, and just plain unsettled feelings within me.
One day, while driving a big truck through the mountains, coming from Oregon into California, I became upset with another driver. I would pass him, and, a while later, he would pass me, then, after a while, he would lose speed, and I would have to pass him again.
I became more and more angry, at him, a total stranger, because of his inconsistency, which was causing me to have to keep passing him whenever I could.
Since there was a lot of traffic around us, and this stretch of road was tricky, this was more work for me.
Suddenly, for some reason, in my growing anger and frustration, it dawned on me.
My trailer was nearly empty, though my truck's speed was governed so that I could not go at a high speed under the best conditions.
He had a bigger, stronger truck, but, apparently, I realized, was probably heavily loaded. So, going uphill, I was able to catch and pass him. On the downhills and flatter stretches, he was able to speed up and pass me.
I was actually the one in HIS way.
Still, we were each doing our personal best, just trying to move our loads forward, operating with the equipment we had to work with.
Nothing personal is involved.
Big change in my outlook after that, not just there and then, but, I've tried to carry that lesson through as I lived my life since then... sometimes, we're just doing our best, with the equipment we have to work with.
Labels: donovan baldwin, essay, insights, opinion, perceptions, thoughts
