Are you aware of your fishbowl?
We are all living in our own fishbowls. Looking at life through the 360 degree glass of our perception. An imperceptible barrier with subtle distortions. So subtle perhaps you are not fully aware of the vitreous filter.
Lack of awareness can be blissful - maybe you live in a rose coloured fishbowl, life is good, everyone is beautiful and nothing bad happens If this is the case for you and you have created a life of equanimity and love I salute you. There is no need to read any further.
The rose-coloured fishbowl may, however, have moments of darkening. No matter how hard we believe in the goodness of life and people bad stuff happens and you may find yourself plummeted into darkness.
Awareness also has downsides. Perennially conscious of looking at the world through a distorted lens do you struggle to get out? And do you notice how that struggles makes things worse? Imagine being a fish in a fishbowl thrashing around, stirring up the waters, disturbing the detritus and then gasping to breathe outside your natural environment. It is hell to be trapped in your perception and it is almost impossible to survive outside it.
This is how it is for us.
We are fish in fishbowls. The unadulterated truth is on the outside of the fishbowl and yet our comfort zone is the water we swim in.
This is what I have learnt about living in a fishbowl:
1. How I see the world isn't a true reflection of reality.
2. The calmer I am in my fishbowl the clearer the waters are and the better I can see.
3. When I thrash around in my fishbowl I kick up 'stuff', I disturb myself and my environment and my judgement of what is happening becomes even more clouded.
4. My fishbowl and what goes on in it is my responsibility.
5. I am not designed to live outside a fishbowl - my fishbowl is my vehicle of orientation in the world.
6. Acceptance is transcendence - acceptance is the bubble that takes me to the surface so I can glimpse the world as it really is.
7. Seeing the world as it really makes me appreciate that whatever I think is going on is not what is going on.
#environment #awareness #transcendence #insights