The Biggest Vice
Sometimes
our biggest vice is giving advice.
This is especially true for those of us who consider ourselves spiritual or enlightened. Just because we have found answers doesn’t mean those answers will work for others, and it definitely doesn’t mean that we have the right to interfere in another’s process of discovering it for themselves.
It is important to help when asked, but try not to forget that giving love inspires others to change more than giving advice ever will.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------This is especially true for those of us who consider ourselves spiritual or enlightened. Just because we have found answers doesn’t mean those answers will work for others, and it definitely doesn’t mean that we have the right to interfere in another’s process of discovering it for themselves.
It is important to help when asked, but try not to forget that giving love inspires others to change more than giving advice ever will.
Finding Another Vantage Point
by Madisyn Taylor
The ocean can look very different, depending on whether you are standing at the shore, soaring above in a plane, or swimming beneath its waves. Likewise, a mountain can look very different relative to where you are standing. Each living thing sees the world from its unique vantage point. While from your window you may be seeing what looks like a huge shrub, a bird in its nest is getting an intimate view of that tree’s leafy interior. Meanwhile, a beetle sees only a massive and never-ending tree trunk. Yet all three of you are looking at the same tree.
Just as a shadow that is concealed from one point of view is easily seen from another, it is possible to miss a fantastic view. That is, unless you are willing to see what’s in front of you through different eyes. Seeing the world from another perspective, whether spatially or mentally, can introduce you to all sorts of hidden treasures. The root of the discovery process often lies in finding another way of looking at the world. The common human reaction to insects is one example. Spinning its web in a dark corner, a spider may seem drab, frightening, and mysterious. But seen up close weaving silver snowflakes between the branches of a tree, they can look like colored jewels.
Sometimes, there are experiences in life that from your vantage point may seem confusing, alarming, or worrisome. Or there may be events that look insignificant from where you are standing right now. Try seeing them from another point of view. Bury your face in the grass and look at the world from a bug’s vantage point. Explore your home as if you were a small child. Take a ride in a small aircraft and experience the world from a bird’s eye view. Just as kneeling down sometimes helps you see more closely when you are looking for lost treasure, so can standing back help you appreciate the broader picture of what you are looking at. In doing so, you’ll experience very different worlds.
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