Focus, do you see that point in front of you, does it seem clear? Yes? What are you missing? This is the forest from the trees, when you look only at the trees, you do not see the forest, the big picture, the grandness of it all. We spend our lives fighting over and for trivialities whilst we are being torn apart limb by limb. Why is this, why is it that we are so unwilling to see ourselves and the reality of the situation?
We are taught to focus on the details, we are taught to pay attention, we are taught that we must care what others think, protect what is ours, fight for justice. Yet, we do not think it through in regards to the global view of our environment or ourselves, the justice we enact is based on what we claim as right without deep investigation and what we protect is our own egos from emotional suffering.
When will we awaken?
Today, I helped a friend in a way that comes with some personal risk to myself and if they decide to break a promise, break the trust, it will come with some cost. I don't expect them to break my trust as I trust my judgement. Some will see this as naive and if my trust is broken, it is only my fault. Yes, they would be correct and I will take full responsibility and it will likely feel bad if it happens. I will risk it and I will risk it for a simple reason, it is the right thing to do. For them and for myself.
For them, the help is obvious, it is a no brainer and for me to turn away when I can help to instead protect what I may lose, would be to protect the tree while the forest burns to the ground. Not your forest, my forest, my bigger picture, the one that is charitable and holds itself to a higher order of personal integrity, the one I must live in from the day I was born to the day I will die. I can afford to lose a few trees but to neglect the maintenance of the forest is to take a walk on a slippery slope that may have no end and no pathway back up.
I think we have lost sight of our forests by learning to focus on all the threats to our trees. We live in a world of competition where everyone wants to one up us and those who have more, we want to cut down to size. We forget who we are in these woods, forget that we are our own person and think that everyone is out to scam us, trying to take what is ours or hurt us in some way and it makes us hard and insensitive.
The worst part is that when we worry and act upon the possible intentions of others, we forget to play our own game, we don't take care of where we are going and what we are doing about getting there. We become chasers hunting the threats and by the time we look up, we are lost in an unfamiliar forest we no longer recognise, one that is not ours, one that may be a long way from where we want to be.
The cost to me is small in relation to the gain for them from my help so, I help. What this means is at least on this day, my balance sheet for making the world a little better for someone is in the black and my forest feels a little healthier and a little stronger, despite the tiredness of my mind, body and eyes.
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]