Personal Contributions

 

 

 

 

"My eyes are God's eyes.

I exchange judgment for compassion

and look upon a forgiven world."

 

Alan Cohen

 

 

 

We experience life in different ways. For example, a family can experience a trauma at the exact same time with the same degree of fright. When interviewed, however, each family member has their own particular reaction. Everyone perceives situations in their own way. These experiences leave imprints on our emotional make up, which causes us to conceptualize future reactions. The reactions, therefore, to new situations may be the learned previous behavior repeating itself.

 

This leads us to the importance of authenticity.  It is important that we do not lead our lives on automatic pilot.  We need to evaluate each situation on its own merits.  We are called to act not react.  Our lives deepen when we can extract the unique importance of all the events unfolding in our lives.

 

If we discover that we are repeating a situation over and over, then we need to see if we are using the exact same response.  If so, apparently it is not working and we can create healthy change by a new way of responding. 

 

When we slow down and understand what stands present before us, we can pause in our minds for clear intervention.  What we normally do, may no longer be appropriate.  Either we may have changed or the dynamics of the situation may have changed.  Before responding, take a moment to check in with inner feelings and realities. 

 

People may not appreciate the changes in our actions, but we hold ourselves accountable.  We have choice even though some choices are not very desirable.  It is not selfish to ask, "What is best for me?"  When we alter our decisions, best case scenario would be to have a personal exchange with the parties involved.  There is no need to be defensive, but sometimes when others hear all of the facts a decision was based on, they have greater understanding ... or not.

 

Comparison once deleted, we have room to be creative and original.  We are all like spices sitting on a shelf.  We may all be spices, but each spice has its own level of impact.  In our world, we all make our unique contribution.  Once competition is removed, we are more eager to extend compassion not only to others but to ourselves as well.  With each contribution, we can surely make a healthier recipe for peace.