Are You Going Through Life With Your Blinders On?
Can you tell if it’s a fact or fiction? Myth or reality?
As the bus hummed along the freeway, I was enjoying the chit-chat among the passengers. I looked out through the windshield at the traffic coming from the opposite direction.
Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep, and when I came to, I awakened to the most beautiful scenery I have yet to experience.
As I looked out of the window to my right, there was a pink wall outside, close enough for me to reach out and touch, or so it seemed. I looked up front, and breathtaking is all I can say about what I saw.
I found out later that this particular stretch of Interstate 15 in the northwest corner of Arizona has been voted the most beautiful expanse of a road in the United States and Canada by the professional truck drivers, people who spend most of their lives on the highways and byways of America.
I wrote a blog post later, musing about the fact that so often we go through life with our eyes closed to everything that’s around us; all we have to do is open our eyes to see it all.
Not only is this true literally, but it is also true metaphorically. We live in an abundant world. Yet we fail to see all that there is because we go through life with blinders on.
Whether the blinders are those of science, religion, culture, or tradition, it is all the same. They prevent us from seeing all there is.
Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to meet people who have helped me see things in a different light than I was used to, and opened up a whole new world for me, over and over again. I am profoundly grateful for this.
I credit my dad with encouraging me to see things differently by consistently prodding me to observe the world anew, and challenging me to find out the truth for myself before accepting someone else’s version of it.
When I first came to the United States, I had preconceived notions about the people in the West. Those illusions were shattered as I got to know more people and become friends with them.
Over time, I started challenging the ideas that were held sacred by my own culture and upbringing. I learned that some of them were just myths with no basis in reality, while others were firmly grounded in truth. I was able to distinguish between them and let go of what did not appeal to me or serve me in my personal and spiritual growth. I learned that you could not accomplish one without the other.
What are you holding sacred that you have not yet tested for truth?
(This is an edited version of a chapter from my book, Life: It’s a Trip)
If you’re up to challenging your conceptions of reality, here are a couple of stories to expand your world.
“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”
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