perception

In the midst of my ‘very important work’, and the frustrations surrounding my inability to make things happen exactly as I wish they would, I must take a moment to remind myself that there are millions and millions of people who would give anything to enjoy my life.

I have recently embarked on a project that is slightly frustrating in that I am not in total control of all aspects of the job at hand. I have limitations, and therefore must rely on others. This is the part that I do not enjoy, as I am usually the one to find the solution or dig in and work overtime to meet the deadline. I cannot do that in this case, and my “Zen of Vacuuming” mindset is really necessary right now.

However, this is all in my head, as is everything, or so ‘they’ say. The entire universe is merely my perception of it, so if I want things to be different, all I have to do is perceive them to be and poof! Everythng is perfection and light and love and blah, blah, blah….

Right.

This is all well and good for those of us who live in the top 1%. And by this I do not mean the top 1% of the top 1%, I mean the top 1% of the entire world population. I read that if one has a roof over one’s head, food in the fridge, and can read and write, then one is abundantly richer than almost everyone else living on the planet, by a huge margin.

But the philosophy to merely change one’s perception isn’t so readily attainable for those people, adults and children alike, struggling with extreme poverty, governmental corruption, famine, war, and debilitating illness or disability. Try and tell them their life experience can be swiftly altered simply by ‘changing their perception’. I am sure, on a purely philosophical level, this argument can be made, but let’s be real. Life is hard, and living it isn’t always a joy. There are joyful moments, to be sure, but for the most part having to get up and deal with the endless process of surviving merely to get up and do it again, day after day, is not joyful. It is a huge burden. But miraculously, or stubbornly, humans have been getting up and dealing with whatever is put before them for millennia, regardless of all the impediments in their path.

So I remind myself of the burdens carried by millions, nay billions, of fellow humans at this very moment, and am thankful that my perceived ‘problem’ is really just an illusion. For I have the luxury of stepping away from the keyboard and going into the rural beauty of the nearly 10 acres of land that I own, spread my arms wide, whilst breathing fresh air and enjoying the freedom to walk, think, speak, eat and dream without restriction or subjugation.

My false perception is that anything in my blissful world could ever be a problem, as I am sure millions or billions of my fellow humans would attest.

Stop. Breathe. Observe the observer and quit whining. You are one lucky person if you have read this post. Consider the alternatives.