Most of us are familiar with the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Simply translated, from a sprawling landscape vista to the person standing in front of us, the definition of what is beautiful is and always has been, is completely up for individual interpretation.
What is fascinating is everything we think and believe is also a matter of our individual filters, biases and inner narratives. In fact, everything is in the eye of the beholder.
I recently wrote an excerpt on the qualities of leadership. After reading a few of the comments on the post, it became quite clear that even something as seemingly quantifiable as leadership can be a point of contention.
The problem with these individual interpretations of everything from scientific theories to the existence of heaven is we all develop stories which define who we are, how we live our lives and how we think about those who share our world. And once we have our story hard wired into our brains, the more closed minded we become making it close to impossible to change what we feel to be true.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have predicted that something as devastating as a global pandemic could be politicized and become part of the tribal discord. But nevertheless, here we are – arguing over whether or not to wear a mask, when we should begin to socialize again, what businesses should open back up again, which experts should be listened to, who is telling us the truth and who isn’t. Why? Because each of us has a different story in our own minds which dictates our reaction.
For all intents and purposes we have a story of two pandemics, one created and propagated by non-experts and one a narrative based on science, data, years of research and expert observations made by immunologists and epidemiologists.
“Facts? Let me tell you about my alternative facts and the way I see it.” From tweets to Facebook posts – this is the underlying theme which dominates our societal dialogue. “My Covid-19 is not your Covid-19.”
So back to the original phrase – it turns out that even a pandemic and our response to it is in the eye of the beholder or more precisely, in the brain of the opinion holder. We all see the world so differently and while facts are stubborn, it turns out our inner narratives are even more stubborn, so much so that even the TRUTH which sets us free is up for self-serving interpretation.
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
