Can I ask you to try this?
Next time you walk out of shopping centre. see how quickly you brain scans the people you can see & works out who could potentially hurt you..it is only a few milliseconds..it shows how brilliant our ancient brain can scan, decide on the threat level & prepare us for action..fight, flight or freeze.
But as with everything there is a downside to this instant protection-surveillance system. It can deny us the opportunity to look beyond that initial judgement.
Reading Chip Conley’s blog post yesterday on his account of his week-long retreat & he mentioned that ‘he looked at an overweight lady & was immediately joined by his old friend, judgement’. [ I suggest you read it as it has a great ending filled with humanity].
So today I tried something as I was walking home from a brilliant day (another blog post topic) & there was this couple putting away their dozens of concrete garden ornaments that they sell.
Now I am not drawn to such things & having driven past heaps of time had already formed my ‘judgement of the type of people who love garden gnomes, pink concrete flamingos & indigenous people standing on one leg holding a spear’.
But with Chip’s message ringing in my ear I stopped & decided to talk to them……..guess what I found out……the couple do it for ‘love’, painting them for R. is ‘therapy’ for him instead of taking heavy duty painkillers [due to a bad traffic accident], school kids come there & learn about animals & at times their place acts as ‘temporary safe house for lost children in the neighbourhood (for which the Police are grateful for).
So what is my lesson?: learn to suspend my instant judgement, look beyond, ask questions, listen & be amazed what I can learn about the people who inhabit this amazing planet.
Getting better, not older.
Rossco
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