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Every human being is an iceberg.
There is so much more going on under the surface than you realize. That girl who may look like a tiny, weak little thing actually has roots and strength that run deeper than you could fathom. The old man down the street might look like his entire life consists only of getting the newspaper every morning. But behind those glasses is a lifetime’s worth of wisdom and stories. The grocery store clerk, who you just view as a grocery store clerk. She’s also a mother, a wife, a mentor, an athlete, a volunteer, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a budding photographer. Don’t let people fool you, yourself included. There is so much more going on just underneath the water. “Can you believe he started a blog?”
“She is just so in love with herself.” “He really thinks his life is that interesting?” Anyone who has ever started, or even thought about starting a blog has run into this sort of criticism. Whether it comes from haters and doubters, or from the voice of our inner critic, all budding bloggers struggle with the fear that the act of creating and sharing your point of view is an inherently narcissistic one. Now, I cannot speak for everybody. I can only say how I have come to deal with this condemnation… I don’t write and share because I find myself interesting. I write and share because I find the world interesting. I don’t view blogging as a selfish act, but rather, as a generous one. Not generous because we share our own experience, wisdom, knowledge, or life But generous because we simply pass on what God has graciously given to us, in the hopes that it might also be a blessing to others. If neither of these help, perhaps think about it this way… If God has been gracious enough to give us experience, wisdom, knowledge, joy, life, then wouldn’t it be more selfish not to share it? If you took basic high school english you probably remember that the first element of a story is the exposition. It’s the time where the storyteller establishes the facts of her tale such as the place, time, and who the characters are.
The information in the exposition is what the storyteller has decided is necessary for us to know in order to properly understand the rest of the story. So it follows then, that if you don’t know the exposition, you can never truly comprehend the story. In life, there will always be those who come along and try and call or label you something. There will always be those trying to tell you what your story is and where it’s headed. But unless these people take the time to get to know your exposition, they can’t fully comprehend your story. They may tell you that you have a terrible, even uncontrollable temper, but they have no idea the type of upbringing you had to endure. And the fact that you are only yelling at people instead of physically harming them is actually progress. Someone may try and call you fat, but they have no idea about your family health history, or how much weight you’ve already lost. I’ve been called “egotistical” for posting videos of myself speaking online, but that’s only by people who haven’t taken the time to discover that the reason I make videos is to encourage and inspire others. All this to say... If someone doesn’t know where you came from, they really have no business telling you where you’re going. While the phrase may be considered a bit taboo and politically incorrect now, “Indian Giver” is commonly used to refer to someone who gives a gift, and then later wants it back. The phrase originated with the early European settlers from their dealings with the Native Americans. The Europeans found it strange and insulting when the Natives would give them a dog, or beads, and then a few days later, expect the gift back.
It would be easy to simply categorize the “Indians” as “uncivilized”, which is precisely what the settlers did. However, if you take a moment to look beneath the surface, you will find that what some construed to be an insult was actually a simple misunderstanding. You see, the early explorers thought they were receiving gifts from their new American acquaintances. On the other side, The Natives believed they were engaged in bartering (“You give me this, I give you that”). This misunderstanding led both sides to find the other’s behaviour to be petty and impudent, and perhaps was the root for the many issues that would eventually arise between the two parties. If only the two had taken the time to learn to communicate. Oh, what could have been avoided! Often times what we perceive to be a slight or an insult is actually just a simple misunderstanding. If we’re patient though, and we take the time to learn to communicate with the other party, we discover that rather than being outright rude, we were simply operating under different assumptions. In all your relationships, have patience and a listening ear. These are gifts that I’m sure the other party would gladly give back. A lot of progress has gone unmade because of our unwillingness to say "I'm sorry".
Even more has gone unmade because of our unwillingness to answer, "I forgive you". Pride is the enemy of progress. Drop it. You don’t have to
Let comparison rule your life You don’t have to Conclude that you’ll “never make it”, just because you didn’t get into your dream school You don’t have to Give up on your diet just because you ate one cheeseburger You don’t have to Believe what everyone says about you, including yourself You don’t have to Call yourself a weak person, especially when you cry You don’t have to Dance to the beat of any drum, some people prefer waltzing to their own piano You don’t have to Let fear stop you You don’t have to Be who you’ve always been You don’t have to Do everything he wants you to. He’s not your king, you already have one You don’t have to Let her control you, especially after she’s left You don’t have to Have all the answers. In fact, we would prefer if you didn’t You don’t have to Do any of these things For each of them, there is another option Choosing that other option takes risk, and work, and vulnerability But the option is there You don’t have to take it But I recommend you do |
AboutThis blog is about learning how to notice, make, and share your art Archives
March 2016
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