It is one of the great troubles of life that
we cannot have any unmixed
emotions. There is always
something in our enemy that we like,
and something in our
sweetheart that we dislike. -William Butler Yeats
It's very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that everything about someone we dislike is awful. It's also very easy to think that everything about someone we like is positive and wonderful. But life isn't like that, and if we ignore the good in our enemies and the not-so-pleasant (or even downright bad!) in the people we care for, we're doing a great disservice to ourselves.
I've known many people who have seemed to be extremely positive persons, whom I've liked very much, who after a while have turned out to be extremely manipulative and deceitful people. The things that I liked about them were simply manipulative techniques to them--they acted nice to others so that others would do what they wanted them to do. If I hadn't been aware that there's much more to people than what we see on the surface, I might have been simply another "victim" to them, another person being used, but not appreciated.
That doesn't mean, though, that we simply reject all such people. There was still something about those people that was likable, and it was in my best interest to learn what that was. Likewise, I've seen people who seem to be all negative with traits that would be good for any of us to emulate. I've met rude and obnoxious people who are wonderful with their children; mean people who donate time and money to worthy causes; people who insult and belittle others who are extremely good at their trade or profession. These people, too, seemed to be ones that I should reject immediately, yet if I were to do so I would not learn the important lessons that they have to teach me.
Sometimes the most important lessons we can learn is how to minimize the bad traits we see in ourselves and others while maximizing the good traits that we see in ourselves and others.
Life is always a mixture--almost nothing is one way all the time. Unfortunately, we often seem to set ourselves up for disappointment, frustration, and worse when we choose to believe that a certain person is all one way. We must accept that there will be the negative traits in the people we like, and that our enemies have traits that we can admire and learn from.
13 December 2017
07 December 2017
A Place in Nature
What riches are ours in the world of nature, from the majesty of the distant peak to the fragile beauty of a tiny flower, and all without cost to us, the beholders! No person is poor who has watched a sunrise or who keeps a mountain in his or her heart. -Esther Baldwin York
It's amazing just how much we value things like money and material possessions when we're surrounded by amazing beauty and miracles all the time. The natural world is one of the most important parts of our lives, yet most of us either take it for granted or ignore it completely as we go along in our daily lives. It's easy to do when we live in cities, of course, and we see very little of nature from day to day, but if we really want to benefit from our experiences on this planet, it's important that we make an effort to make nature a real part of our daily lives.
It's not always easy to do this, of course. And for some people, it's much more work than it is for others. But even when I've lived in cities, I've always been able to find and appreciate little pockets of nature wherever they turn up. The hardest city I ever lived in was Salamanca, for there's very little nature to be seen there. But there are plenty of tiny parks all over the place, and I found several "favorite spots" where I could go just to be near trees and flowers and plants. I easily could have gone weeks on end without enjoying their company had I not searched them out, but it's always been important to me on an instinctive level to maintain contact with nature in my life, so I did so.
The benefits to me have always been a sense of peace and relaxation in the midst of a hectic and somewhat unfriendly environment, where I've been surrounded by cement, for the most part. Finding a tree to sit under always reminds me that life goes on, no matter what else happens--the stress of my day means less when I'm sitting in the shade of a tree that doesn't care one way or another about all those little stress-causers in our lives. The trees and flowers remind me that in the bigger picture, all is well, and that the world is filled with resilience and beauty.
I do see many people who live in small towns, completely surrounded by nature, who also take it for granted or ignore it. What a tragic mistake they're making, to ignore what could be the source of many, many pleasant moments that will help them to achieve a sense of peace and balance! I would love to take them by the hand and lead them to a beautiful place where they could experience the feeling of being in the presence of eternity, but my guess is that many of them would simply shrug their shoulders, say "thanks," and turn and go home to resume their busy, crowded lives.
Where is nature around you? How do you take advantage of all that it offers you? Please remember that it's there and that it's waiting for you, and it will welcome you just as it welcomes everyone else--without judgment and without condition; and as long as you treat it well, it will treat you very well indeed. Find that park bench or that trail in the woods that you can call your own, and enjoy it immensely and regularly!
It's amazing just how much we value things like money and material possessions when we're surrounded by amazing beauty and miracles all the time. The natural world is one of the most important parts of our lives, yet most of us either take it for granted or ignore it completely as we go along in our daily lives. It's easy to do when we live in cities, of course, and we see very little of nature from day to day, but if we really want to benefit from our experiences on this planet, it's important that we make an effort to make nature a real part of our daily lives.
It's not always easy to do this, of course. And for some people, it's much more work than it is for others. But even when I've lived in cities, I've always been able to find and appreciate little pockets of nature wherever they turn up. The hardest city I ever lived in was Salamanca, for there's very little nature to be seen there. But there are plenty of tiny parks all over the place, and I found several "favorite spots" where I could go just to be near trees and flowers and plants. I easily could have gone weeks on end without enjoying their company had I not searched them out, but it's always been important to me on an instinctive level to maintain contact with nature in my life, so I did so.
The benefits to me have always been a sense of peace and relaxation in the midst of a hectic and somewhat unfriendly environment, where I've been surrounded by cement, for the most part. Finding a tree to sit under always reminds me that life goes on, no matter what else happens--the stress of my day means less when I'm sitting in the shade of a tree that doesn't care one way or another about all those little stress-causers in our lives. The trees and flowers remind me that in the bigger picture, all is well, and that the world is filled with resilience and beauty.
I do see many people who live in small towns, completely surrounded by nature, who also take it for granted or ignore it. What a tragic mistake they're making, to ignore what could be the source of many, many pleasant moments that will help them to achieve a sense of peace and balance! I would love to take them by the hand and lead them to a beautiful place where they could experience the feeling of being in the presence of eternity, but my guess is that many of them would simply shrug their shoulders, say "thanks," and turn and go home to resume their busy, crowded lives.
Where is nature around you? How do you take advantage of all that it offers you? Please remember that it's there and that it's waiting for you, and it will welcome you just as it welcomes everyone else--without judgment and without condition; and as long as you treat it well, it will treat you very well indeed. Find that park bench or that trail in the woods that you can call your own, and enjoy it immensely and regularly!
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