#315 Glass Half Empty? Don't be so Sure! Openness to & Nurturing Unknowable Potentials

     We know ourselves less well than we assume. I suspect most of us are far more pessimistic "glass half-empty" or even cynical than we realize - trusted friends' honest opinions about us might be revelatory. Meditation provides the framework for deep, honest self-observation - a more objective insight into our thoughts / self-talk, speech and behavior.
     Are we quick to judge harshly, or do we recognize how limited our knowledge about people and their potentials are? Do we hold strong opinions about most issues? Do we see issues as clearly black-or-white, right-or-wrong? Do we typically feel we're one of "the good guys," and quickly label "the other" as a "bad guy"?
     This "my way or the highway," rigid way of being may be fun to watch in a "blow-em-up" Hollywood movie, but it's an incredibly difficult way to live a life, not only for the afflicted individual, but for everyone who has to be around him. A much more realistic, wiser, & more mature approach is more nuanced, more curious, more open to and nurturing of possibilities.

     See also: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/04/wisely-motivating-behavior-modification.html

Norbert Rosing   National Geographic