Few things have inherent meaning.
For most experiences we go through, the lessons we learn from them are merely a matter of interpretation…
Because context matters. Both the context we operate in, and the one we’re bringing to the moment at hand.
No two people process an event in the exact same way.
Different people, different perspectives, different interpretations – these factors combine to create drastically different impressions those people carry with them moving forward.
What crushes one person is a source of strength for another.
A dramatic end to a drawn-out struggle can be taken as a sign to completely quit… or to begin again, with a fresh approach and renewed convictions.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as being too close to the canvas to appreciate the full picture.
When we’re immersed in the situation, little details get magnified. Even the manageable becomes unsustainable when it’s given more weight than it deserves.
But if we put things in their proper place and focus on how it fits into the broader environment, those details stop dominating our vision.
Instead, they harmonise – falling into balance with the other parts of the whole to create something cohesive and unbiased that we can digest as we’re meant to.
Gaining perspective is just the first step, though.
It’s crucial… but not sufficient.
Whatever meaning we ascribe to things we experience says less about our circumstances than it does about us.
This meaning – whether it’s our initial reaction, a deeply held belief, or an unchecked assumption we’d rather flee from than deal with – is not the message we’re meant to receive.
At best, it’s a reflection of the message.
At worst, it’s an utter warping of it: shadows and mist that obscure the truth and show us only what we expect to see. What we project as being there, even when it’s not.
Here’s the problem:
Until we get the message, it keeps getting sent our way.
Until we recognise what lies beyond the edge of our vision, life will keep delivering these learning opportunities to us.
It might be something we’re straining to see.
It might be something we’ve been avoiding.
Maybe it’s even something we’ve refused to acknowledge… because accepting it would threaten our entire worldview.
The scope of impact is irrelevant. The mind which resists change is as closed to minor shifts as it is to ones which truly matter.
But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean that it’s not necessary or not worth doing.
Until we get the message, we’ll stay stuck where we are.
It’s only by learning whatever lesson these circumstances have presented to us that we can grow – and ultimately progress to the next phase of our development.