A fly was stuck in between the kitchen window and the screen. I tried to help it escape by pushing out the bottom righthand corner of the window screen. When the fly didn’t budge, I took a stick and tried to lead it to the opening. The fly flew towards the opening and then flew back to its corner, far from the escape path I created. I thought to myself, what a dumb fly.
According to theory, my thoughts and my actions all stem from a view. So, what view could that be? Whenever I can’t identify the view straight off, I like to list out a couple of my thoughts on the issue:
- The fly is stuck
- The fly wants to get out
- The fly must not understand I am trying to help it
- The fly is better off outside than it is inside
What is the view that ties all of these thoughts together? One possibility is the view that freedom is preferred. And this view doesn’t only apply to the fly, but to other circumstances as well. Relationships, work, and life choices can all be affected by this view.
When is this view true? I hate being stuck in traffic. I prefer the freedom of driving on an open road, free to drive in two lanes at once and change lanes as I please. But have I ever preferred not to have this freedom? If I’m speeding, I don’t want to be easily seen and targeted for a ticket – it’s better to be in a pack, following someone else who’s driving even faster.
Whatever reason the fly had, whether it was really stuck or intentionally there, this circumstance made me see that I tend to believe that freedom is always better. And it gave me the opportunity to see that even in my own life experiences, I have sometimes preferred freedom and sometimes preferred to be restricted. Even I wasn’t consistent in this view. It was more about what I believed I had to gain or lose, not necessarily about the freedom itself.
Finally, don’t forget to do what Mae Yo emphasizes: Don’t walk away without being able to clearly state what the wrong view was, why it was wrong, and what the right view is. When these can be clearly articulated, you pass!
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