The Tip of the Iceberg June 15, 2016
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Mindfulness, People.trackback
It’s hard enough to know people we spend time with on a daily basis since we see only the tip of the iceberg.
Much of who they are is hidden below the water line.
It is next to impossible to know people we’ve never met . . .
Setting aside speculation based on fertile imagination.
Once we stop analyzing others to find their “fault lines,” we often realize that who they are is not an issue we need to tackle.
Aah . . . that’s better!
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Spirit Lights The Way 
well said, our minds conspire against us all the time, i suppose it all goes back to the words of Jesus, Don’t Judge, amen
We are very good at adding things up: 1 + 1 = 213!
MYOB!
It doesn’t pay to be too “nosey” . . .
Very good this morning, Nancy. As we deal with a neighbor problem… 🙂
Our interactions with others are a mixed bag ~> rather like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates. Some people react with smiles. Others respond with frowns and waves of negativity.
Good luck. Hope you are able to iron things out or shrug it off.
WE are shrugging it off.. 🙂
That’s the spirit! Hope your neighbor is able to demonstrate similar perspective.
You need to explain this to the politicians.
And vice versa. I’ve given up trying to understand politicians.
This sounds like an excellent formula for how to avoid wasting one’s time.
Yes. And it avoids analysis paralysis.
Yes, we need to have lass fertile imaginations when it comes to people we don’t really know, and actually, how many people do we REALLY know? 😀
I’m still discovering things about myself . . . so I have to make peace with the fact that others may always be a mystery.
So true, Nancy. 🙂
Imagine how productive the world would be if they just concerned themselves with their own matters rather than everyone elses!
It’s amazing the things we find to do that distract us from doing amazing things.
We all have our personal filters and cultural values that we tend to project on to others… and then if we have a fertile imagination then the drama begins.
Time for deep breaths and a reality check.
If no harm is being done, then let it be.
Yes! Deep breaths and reality checks help keep our thoughts “in check.”
I like your observation that so much of who “we” are is hidden below the water line. That’s really true. I have recently been more aware of the ease I feel if I just let my observations rule rather than thinking that I need to know more about peoples’ motivations, which often means I’m judging. I really do have enough work keeping track of ME! LOL!
Yes! There is an ease in allowing people, places, and things to be as they are without having to dissect and analyze each and every nuance. It’s ease-y!
Ain’t it the truth? I like to observe how people behave, but as for why anyone does anything, who know? One of my favorite colloquial sayings that I live by is: “mind your own knitting.”
Yes! Mind your own knitting is a good mantra.
Tomorrow night, the local Meditation Center is giving a free public talk on taking control:
Our thoughts and attitudes create all of our experiences. If we want to take control of our life and find the happiness we long for, we must learn how to control our mind. Using meditation and Buddhist wisdom we can reduce negative thinking and learn to think in ways that result in inner peace and joy. Through training our mind we develop the inner space to respond to life’s challenges in more constructive ways; improving our relationships and making our life truly meaningful.
Very true! Often our own faults come out when we point out the faults of others.
That is so true, Linda. E.g., When I complain about other people being negative . . . is that me being negative?
Yes! This is one area where a fertile imagination is not a good thing.
Here’s to “right thinking.”
We don’t really ‘know’ a lot about anyone, Nancy (hell – I think I hardly know myself sometimes) 😉
Hey! Who do you think you are?!!! 😉
LOL! 😉
The iceberg under the surface of every human being is more complex than we will ever understand. Just let it be.
Here’s to choosing the right path (to being who we want to be) without worrying about the detours and wrong turns of others.
A wise observation, Nancy!
Now that I’m mindful of this tendency, I notice how often people try to figure out the “why” of someone else’s action . . . not by asking them (which might bear fruit), but by asking me.
I no longer speculate in response. I just shrug, “Beats Me.”
I like that response, Nancy!