WHO knew.

Before embarking on this entry, I wanted to let you know that the show I referred to in the last post needed to be rescheduled. In a way, I would say that was good, as it might give you more of an opportunity to catch it live. When I get more information, I will share.

In the meantime, I just saw a video teaser from the new movie Horton Hears a Who - Living on a Speck. I didn't remember if I ever read the story, so I went looking for a summary. If you're interested, here is what Wikipedia has to say about it.

I mention it because I think the clip/story is a perfect example of perspective. Have you ever seen a show at a planetarium? I have gone to several shows, and have sat there, amazed by what they show. They essentially show earth - even our solar system - as a speck in the scheme of things. If the solar system is a speck, what the heck are we? Smile.

I am looking forward to seeing that movie. Who knows what the author may have known when he wrote the story. Apparently, there is a piece that shows how when the "whole" pulls together, it can make all the difference in the world.

Since I can't really speak fully to the movie/story at the moment, what I will speak to is what the clip pointed to for me: with a limited perspective, we are likely to discount the things outside of our realm of experience.

Have you ever heard that there are
things we know
things we think we know
things we know we don't know
things we don't know we don't know.

In each of those ideas there is a perspective that propels us forward.

The things we know can be a building block for other things, or it can be a stumbling block to learning new things.

The things we think we know come from the interpretations we have made about a given circumstance or conversation. Ever come to the "wrong" conclusion about something? Then you know what I am referring to. The result can end relationships, create arguments, and create problems. On the positive side, sometimes when we act on what we think we know, we uncover something amazing - by "accident."

The things we know we don't know are the things we may go learn more about, or may potentially stay away from - knowing that our lack of knowledge could get us into trouble. Perhaps there are things we don't even care to know, preferring, instead to leave it up to others to learn. Without an awareness, there may be some cases that perspective could leave us at the mercy of another's conclusions.

The things we don't know we don't know could be the most interesting of the bunch. If you don't know what you don't know, how do you know what questions to ask? How do you even know there is a question to ask? For me, this category is the most challenging. However, when something that I didn't know that I didn't know surfaces, it is like a beautiful gem. Some of the greatest insights I have ever had about myself have come from this category.

I would suppose the beauty of life is to wake up to the possibilities excited, rather than thinking we just entered a nightmare. I know that sounds extreme, but I'd say that many people are uncomfortable without being able to predict what's next. A step in a different direction, is a step out their comfort zone.

I would guess that comfort zones are never meant to last very long. Maybe they're just a rest stop along the way. However, it would seem some people would try to take up residence there, because they like the scenery, and lose what could be coming next, as they'll never want to go there, being so focused on maintaining the moment.

I recently heard that a shopping center that I used to work at in Columbus, Ohio has been mostly vacated. I couldn't believe it. Of course, when I was there was several years ago, and things do change, but I found it kind of sad. I guess no one ever likes to think that things can and do change, to the point of going away, or changing beyond recognition.

However, I am not the same person as I was then, so why would I think that other things would stay the same? It seems to be a reminder to me that things are always changing, and sometimes we just need some perspective to recognize it. Had I still lived in Columbus all of these years, I may never have thought about it the way that I am thinking about it now. It may have happened with a lot less thought on my part, as I, like many others likely did, acted within the framework of the awareness of a Columbus resident, and found a different place to work, to eat, to shop...

I suspect that is why being aware is so powerful. It gives you opportunities to create along the way. And, yet, there is a different type of awareness that one has at a distance. I can see what happened, and yet never had the opportunity to interact with it.

Is one more powerful than the other? I would think not. I would think what is key is more likely how I interact with whatever my awareness presents to me at any given time, rather than what actually happened.

Your feedback and thoughts, as always, are appreciated.

Thanks for listening.

Have a great weekend!