“If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.”
― The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
*****Warning******* I have never shied away from topics that can be viewed as controversial. I have never held back my thoughts about arrogant leaders, even at the cost of losing business. I realize that this topic is somewhat controversial, but feel compelled to write about what I have been observing.*******
Is Everyone Offended?
It used to be that you could say something and not worry about offending everyone. Yes, offensive things were said, and yet it didn’t seem to have overreaching impact that it has on today’s society. I’m not saying it was right to say such things, what I am saying is that someone didn’t take it personally. Today is seems as if you cannot say anything, without someone being offended or upset because they are internalizing anything and everything and taking it all personally.
Now for the record, I realize that some horrific things have happened in our history, by the way, I am talking about the history of the human race, and not just the history of America. We cannot go back and change these things, we can only move forward and learn from our mistakes. If we attempt to wipe out any trace of these tragedies, we will forget they happened, and then we will repeat them.
Elie Wiesel who survived the concentration camps as a child, in his book, Night, talked about this when he said, “We must never, ever, ever, forget!”
Doors (Lenses) of Perception
I want to talk now about these doors of perception William Blake was referring to in the opening quote. You can also refer them to as the lenses of perception, or in other words, how we view things or as Carl Jung once said, “It’s not what it is, it ‘s what we make it mean!”
You see the human mind is an incredible organ, as humans we have the capacity to control our thoughts, and so we have the incredible power to make things mean, anything we want them to mean. Two people can look at any item, and once person will look at it and say, “Hmmphh, no big deal,” while another other person can be utterly outraged and offended.
These lenses that we view the world thru are colored by our our education, experiences, family of origin, religious beliefs, gender, and life experiences. And while those are all dramatically different for each of us, we still have the power to control our thoughts and decide what something means to us.
We Can Choose…?
We can choose to take it personally or we can choose to believe what was said was more about the person saying it then about us. We can choose to look through the lenses of all that is right or we can choose to look at why everything is wrong. We can choose to be offended by someone or something or we can simply shrug it off and let it go.
In the end though, the real choice we must all make, is whether we choose to get our sense of self-worth and value outside of us, or if we choose to get our sense of self worth and value internally, within ourselves based on what we makes things mean.
It is really up to you!
Things Are Changing
I have noticed a transition over the course of the last few years (especially since Covid), that so many people have decided to look at everything in their life through the lens of how it offends them. Almost as if they are looking for a reason to be offended.
And while it may appear to be more prevalent in the younger generations, it is actually another pandemic spreading through our country and the rest of the world deepening the chasms between us and separating us further apart.
Maybe this is why folks seem to care more about their pets than their fellow human beings?
A Path Out
So how do we move forward in a way that moves us forward and more connected instead of backwards and farther apart?
I think it begins when we cleanse our lenses of perception and what we are making things mean. We need to come out of our I-am-the-center-of-the-universe and everything anyone does is about me mentality.
Second, we have to stop seeking outside ourselves to get our sense of self-worth and value from outside of ourselves. It doesn’t come from buying stuff (Rabid Consumerism). It doesn’t come from how many likes, dislikes, or followers we have on Facebook, Tik-Tok, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. (Social Media Addiction). And finally, it doesn’t come from pointing your finger outward and being offended by the words or behaviors of others!
It comes from knowing that you are an incredible human being, that you have the power to control your thoughts, therefore you control what you make things mean. Make them mean what is right, true, truthful, loving, and kind.
It comes from making authentic real connections with yourself and others, realizing that we are all members of one race, the human race, and we will rise and/or fall as together. It is our choice!
We should all choose wisely!
