"Blink" - Picture Them As Skeletons
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The history, traditions, and celebrations surrounding Halloween are diverse, and at times, controversial. The other day our 9 1/2 year old asked about the origin of the festivities. We did some Wikipedia research and just before he completely shut down from the complexity of it all I suggested,
"Why don't we use Halloween as an opportunity to remember that everyone is exactly the same underneath all those fancy costumes, masks, and different color skin? So, the next time you feel ashamed, intimidated, or scared to speak out, picture them all as skeletons. Equal."
AJ stared at me with his special, 'please be done talking' look, rolled his eyes, and walked off.
I enjoy public speaking. As crazy as that may sound, the continuum of feelings from paralyzing fear to exhilarating freedom are intoxicating. Following this conversation with AJ, I began to wonder, why do I put myself out there? Open. Raw. Exposed.
Why do I choose to place myself in a position open to ridicule and criticism?
As I sat in the drive-thru line at Starbuck's patiently awaiting a macchiato, I glanced down to make a note on my iPhone. I was immediately aware of my personal answer to this question. As the sun caught the screen of my phone just right, or wrong depending on how you look at it, I saw a painful reflection of a saggy faced woman I barely know. I was judging my face, in spite of its compromised position against gravity. I sighed and looked up into the rear view mirror hoping the image I saw on the screen was a gross distortion of reality, but unfortunately the face I visualize in my mind is simply changing and getting older. I came to the conclusion, I put myself out there because when I speak, or write, when I touch the soul of a patient, or scratch the surface of a forbidden subject... Time stands still. I am not a skeleton. I am alive.
We are always creating. Many people become alive through music, art, speaking, writing, working, serving, or "simply" living. Sometimes there is little choice to the activity in which we find ourselves engaged, but if what we are doing does not make us feel alive we need to step back and rethink. We also need to celebrate those around us who have found their passion and are living out their purpose. Cheers.
Between patient visits, children's activities (and fevers), relationships, and life at home, I am reading the book "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. The book discusses, rapid cognition, the split second thinking which operates below our consciousness. This "thin-slicing" of how we see the world is not something one can change through will power since it resides and works on a subconscious level.
In order to see the world differently, I must change my heart. We must surround ourselves with the thoughts and images of heroes from different cultures and religious backgrounds, bathe in their power of love, compassion, intelligence, creativity, courage, peace, and ability to inspire. Only by recognizing and honoring these positive images of diversity and triumph, can we change how we react subconsciously. Without any control of our will, the atmosphere we project to the world becomes one of love and respect.
"... For out of the overflow of (man's) heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45
To what degree can we alter the subconscious thin-slice of how we first see an event, a person, ourselves, the world?
See someone.
Blink
See them as the opposite sex.
Blink
See them as another race.
Blink
See them as a skeleton.
Blink
See them in God's image.
Blink
Then, look into the mirror and do the same with your own reflection.
Take a deep breath... And see the whole world differently.
A world of endless possibility.
Happy Halloween. Michele
AJ stared at me with his special, 'please be done talking' look, rolled his eyes, and walked off.
I enjoy public speaking. As crazy as that may sound, the continuum of feelings from paralyzing fear to exhilarating freedom are intoxicating. Following this conversation with AJ, I began to wonder, why do I put myself out there? Open. Raw. Exposed.
Why do I choose to place myself in a position open to ridicule and criticism?
As I sat in the drive-thru line at Starbuck's patiently awaiting a macchiato, I glanced down to make a note on my iPhone. I was immediately aware of my personal answer to this question. As the sun caught the screen of my phone just right, or wrong depending on how you look at it, I saw a painful reflection of a saggy faced woman I barely know. I was judging my face, in spite of its compromised position against gravity. I sighed and looked up into the rear view mirror hoping the image I saw on the screen was a gross distortion of reality, but unfortunately the face I visualize in my mind is simply changing and getting older. I came to the conclusion, I put myself out there because when I speak, or write, when I touch the soul of a patient, or scratch the surface of a forbidden subject... Time stands still. I am not a skeleton. I am alive.
We are always creating. Many people become alive through music, art, speaking, writing, working, serving, or "simply" living. Sometimes there is little choice to the activity in which we find ourselves engaged, but if what we are doing does not make us feel alive we need to step back and rethink. We also need to celebrate those around us who have found their passion and are living out their purpose. Cheers.
Between patient visits, children's activities (and fevers), relationships, and life at home, I am reading the book "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. The book discusses, rapid cognition, the split second thinking which operates below our consciousness. This "thin-slicing" of how we see the world is not something one can change through will power since it resides and works on a subconscious level.
In order to see the world differently, I must change my heart. We must surround ourselves with the thoughts and images of heroes from different cultures and religious backgrounds, bathe in their power of love, compassion, intelligence, creativity, courage, peace, and ability to inspire. Only by recognizing and honoring these positive images of diversity and triumph, can we change how we react subconsciously. Without any control of our will, the atmosphere we project to the world becomes one of love and respect.
"... For out of the overflow of (man's) heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45
To what degree can we alter the subconscious thin-slice of how we first see an event, a person, ourselves, the world?
Blink
See them as the opposite sex.
Blink
See them as another race.
Blink
See them as a skeleton.
Blink
See them in God's image.
Blink
Then, look into the mirror and do the same with your own reflection.
Take a deep breath... And see the whole world differently.
A world of endless possibility.
Happy Halloween. Michele
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