Our Perceptions

It can be important to us to examine our beliefs from time to time. It's not so much to see if we are wrong about the big things, but rather to examine how we view the world in each small instance.

I have a small car. I was driving on the freeway this week and I was cut off by a very large truck. He immediatey slowed down to slower than I was going. I couldn't see around him, so I moved over a lane and passed him and got in front of him again. The person in the truck didn't seem to have a problem with this, but I could see someone who had a problem with road rage finding this move offensive. Yet I didn't mean that this person did anything wrong when he moved in front of me. I was merely uncomfortable with the fact that the slower speed meant I got close too quickly and I couldn't see around the larger object.

The truck driver could have taken that personally and then cut me off again, trying to set off a competition of who could be in front of whom. People often react like that.

It's hard sometimes when it seems that someone has gone out of their way to cause us trouble to look at the bigger picture. Maybe we weren't even a part of the picture because they had other needs. Getting angry at them personally may not make any diference at all. It may just start a fight with someone who momentarily didn't even notice we were there.

In our world, we are often quick to jump to the conclusions that make the affront personal. We assume that "they" want to get us. Perhaps if we stepped back from that competative outlook and give the other person the benefit of the doubt and realize it's not our place to deal out their punishment, we could all breathe easier and have less stress.

Today I am going to try and notice at least one situation that would have angered me because I took it too personally and try give that person the benefit of the doubt. I'll try and come with an alternative reason that makes sense to me about why they may have acted that way. I wonder how different I will feel?