Keenness of Vision…

Because we’ve been taught to fight, even when we sincerely want to solve problems we’re scared we’ll ‘lose’.

Lose face.

Lose the fight.

Lose ground.

Maybe we could look at it all from a new angle…
It might be worth at least trying a new perspective as, in our efforts not to lose these status-based skirmishes we all encounter in our lives, we often lose the things – and people – that are really important to us.

This isn’t easy.  It takes a lot of attention and energy because the opposite to fighting is not passivity.

The thing is that if we think about everything as a competition or a fight we’ll only take part if we have a chance of winning.

Maybe we should make that stand, take that chance because it’s just the right thing to do – even though we figure we won’t win?

How about instead of competition and fighting we learn to focus on the goal at the end of everything and not just the tussles en route?

Forget about winning and losing and instead imagine what it will be like if we win the battle and lose the war?

Or even – and how this would be – maybe lose the battle but win the whole war?

…keenness of understanding is due to keenness of vision. (1)

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Photograph – Madrid scenes de rue, 1908.  Photographer – Ch. Chusseau-Flaviens – George Eastman House Collection.

(1) Tarazat, Tablets of Baha’u’llah, p. 35.