Day 25 – Mental Filters

We’ve all heard that if you see a glass half empty or half full of water, that determines whether you are a pessimist or an optimist. The pessimist sees the bad outcome, but the flip side is that he has the pleasure of not being disappointed by bad news. The optimist expects things to work out, but he may also lose all of his money at the blackjack table. Whether we see things as optimists or pessimists, we are still looking at life through a filter, and eventually end up on shaky ground. There’s another option.

A better way to approach life might be with an open attitude toward whatever life presents us. Whenever we manage to take a more detached position as to what comes our way, we can see the world as it really is without looking through the veils of pessimism or optimism.

“Right is not right; so is not so. If right were really right, it would differ so clearly from not right that there would be no need for argument. If so were really so, it would differ so clearly from not so that there would be no need for argument. Forget the years. Forget distinctions. Leap into the boundless and make it your home.” ~Chuang-Tzu