A little bit of light

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

When you seek something positive, it is amazing what you can come across.  For me the latest book is Meditations, which is Marcus Aurelius’ diary as such.  There are little gems that I find almost every day now that speak directly to my heart.

The one I have quoted above is today’s gem.  When I look at what lies ahead, and what I face just today, I am reminded that it is merely my perspective.  It is not the complete truth.

The truth is a multi-faceted thing.  Each person’s perception adds a facet and a dimension.   I, myself, can only perceive out of that which has been my experience.  Admittedly, that in itself has been tumultuous.

From great highs come great lows.  – Me

So why does this speak to me so clearly today?   I was reminded last night of the impact we have on others lives, on how we can have this multi-layered love for those people that surround us (without it being “dirty”).  It reminds me that if we do not take time to appreciate that version of the truth, even if it is contradictory to our own, we are missing out.

I suppose the crux of this is that it is okay to disagree.  It is okay to have a varying perspective because I can only do things from my own experience.  I can embrace another’s perspective and opinion, but it will still be filtered through that which is important and vital to me.

It is my little light today because too often I try and bend the world to my perspective.  It causes undue stress and tension, mostly within myself, as I try so hard.  Instead I should be more like water and flow around that which I do not necessarily agree with or understand.  I need to remember that everyone is trying to make sense of a world according to their opinion and perspective.

“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” – Bruce Lee

What is your quote for the day / week or even the month?