Living in the world…with people…
“And every waking moment, we’re starting over.” That’s what the song on my Pandora station is attempting to soothe me with tonight. And, because I am in one of those cheesy, happy, reflective moods, it is working. Good job Pandora, I am one of those people now.
See that? That attitude right there is why I need this cheesy, happy, reflective moment. I need to regain perspective. Sometimes it is easy to loose track of the good in the world and the good in the people rotating around the sun on this giant rock with us. I spent much time this evening looking at pictures and videos of my friends and I from about this time last year, and I wondered – where has all my joy and contentedness gone? Not that I am unhappy, I just seem to lack the love of people I had. There are many terrible things happening in the world and it is important to be aware of those problems and fight to solve them, but this must be balanced. I need to see the good in people, even in people with whom I disagree. “Take the good, leave the bad” (from the mouth of Alex Johnson) – for my sanity’s sake. Many actions and words are backed by good intentions. When you zoom out the general idea can be positive – it just gets muddied with words and turns into something hard to swallow. It’s not easy, but if we can try to see each other in this big picture perspective there would probably be a lot more respect, love, and friendship between people of different backgrounds, beliefs, and lifestyles. Instead of thinking I cannot believe that a person would do/say this, I should ask Why would a person do/say this? What’s the reasoning? Do they mean well? Generally, the answer is yes. It does not mean I agree with the person; It does not mean I sanction their actions; It just means I am human and they are human, and we can surely find some common ground with that starting point in mind.
So this moment, I choose to restart and readjust the way I look at people. . . . though, this may be more of a process than a moment-long adjustment.
Thoughts From an Uncomfortable College Mattress 