Wednesday Wisdom - The Way We See the World

THE WAY WE SEE THE WORLD 

             

 

  

 "Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world...."
Wayne Dyer

    

At the beginning of my first book, Closing the Gap-A Revolutionary Approach to Client and Donor Services, I shared this quote from Anais Nim: "We see the world not as it is, but as we are." I have found this to be almost universally true. An example is found in this old narrative.

The story is told of an 1850s trading post in a small settlement in a pleasant valley along the Oregon Trail. Wagon trains passing through would spend the night and stock up on supplies before heading farther west. On occasion, some travelers weary of the long journey would pause to consider whether they should stop and homestead in the valley.

One such traveler approached the shopkeeper and asked, "What kinds of folks live here?"

The merchant replied, "Before I answer that, tell me what kind of people lived in the place you just left."

"Oh, they weren't very neighborly. They seemed to only care for themselves, and there was a lot of fussing. We couldn't wait to leave," answered the traveler.

"I think you'll find the people here are a lot like that," said the shopkeeper.

The traveler decided to keep on moving.

The next day, another traveler, also weary of the long trail, asked the merchant about the people living in the valley.

Once again, the merchant gave the same reply: "Before I answer that, tell me what kind of people lived in the place you came from."

"Oh," said the traveler, "they were kind and generous. They worked hard and took care of each other. We loved our little community and really hated to leave, but there was just no more land available."

"I think you'll find the people here are a lot like that," said the shopkeeper.

The traveler and his family decided to stay and homestead in the pleasant valley. They soon discovered the people there to be kind, generous, hard-working, caring and loving, just as the merchant had described them.

What we encounter in life is often but an extended reflection of ourselves. Are we happy with what we see?