If I were to ask how was your week?. How would the search for the answer take place in your mind ? Often we grasp what we can of the last week in mental snapshots and shift through them as quick as possible, disposing any of these ‘photographs’ where we personally don’t feature.
We may come up plentiful or come up empty, either way, the same response of ‘yea great’ ensures. We may be worried about appearing unsocial, inactive, boring or want to spare the other person the concern for why we may feel or be alone. The point I want to raise is related to how we value our experiences and events that have transpired.
Naturally, our focal point is that of ourselves. Our consciousness, awareness or even souls for that matter have ‘normally’ never been situated anywhere else . As we grow and encounter the forces of love, friendship and affinity, this changes. The joy once out of our reach as a friend’s success, or the pain we other should be sheltered from as a family member’s illness, becomes our own. This ability to transcend and connect is a beautiful part of being human that we should express more often.
There are limitations and this doesn’t serve as a right to take the biggest slice out of another person’s accomplishments, but we are all in this journey together. Never underestimate the part you may have played somewhere along the way. The accomplishment and trophy may belong to someone else specifically, but the joy and happiness is there to be shared as the true wealth. As the Buddhists know, a candle doesn’t go out by spreading its flame.
The other side of this coin is of course the pain we may subject ourselves too with an extended sense of compassion. The benefit of this is seen when others will hopefully be there for us in the same manner.
Now when I look back at the past week, I think about how one childhood friend received high grades on his final university assessment and another is now the father to a healthy baby boy. So, for me it’s been a pretty good week. How was yours ?
