The Mirror of Perception: A Tale of Tragedy, Transformation, and Truth
The Awakening: A Shattering Event
Last week an explosion at a gas station near my hometown sent shockwaves through our community—claiming three lives, injuring 53 people and leaving many with emotional scars that will take time to heal. As a core mentor who delves deep into the human psyche, I found a survivor's account of this tragic event to be a stark catalyst for my own reflection on the transformative power of human choice and perception. As I offered my prayers for the victims, the survivors and the souls tragically lost, I was caught in a pendulum swing of thought between human fragility and resilience.
Amidst the chaos I found an unexpected insight in what one of the survivor said to a reporter: “I was very lucid and managed to save my car from the fire first, and then my wife who was still in the house.” At first glance this decision to save his car before his wife might appear baffling, even callous to some. To me it served as a potent demonstration of how deeply our perceptions shape our choices and priorities, even in life-or-death situations. There is a certainty that his choice to save the car first stemmed from how he perceives the world. This man likely worked diligently to buy that car; it could represent years of labor, a symbol of his achievements and hard work. He may even wash this car lovingly every weekend, a physical manifestation of his priorities. In contrast, his wife might only visit a beauty salon once a year. His actions weren't random, but a direct manifestation of his worldview, his values crystallized into action under the extreme pressure of the moment.
If you asked this man in a calm setting who he would save first—his car or his wife—the answer would undoubtedly be his wife. It's not a matter of lacking love for his spouse or being a bad person; it's about how he sees the world, especially in an emergency situation.
The Parallel: A Client's Resistance to Change
These insights brought further clarity to my work as a core mentor, particularly with a client resistant to the very change she seeks. Her worldview is disproportionately focused on material wealth and control, losing the spirit. The parallel between her and the survivor becomes more striking now; they both operate from a similar framework that places material objects and control above deeper, intangible aspects of life. Through powerful, deep-working sessions, I've been challenging her preconceptions and encouraging her to redefine her life metrics. In both cases perception not only influences actions but also dictates our reality, shaping our character in profound ways.
The Philosophy: Crafting Reality Through Perception
Guided by the ethos "How we see the world is how we create the world," my core mentoring practice revolves around transformative principles:
1. To Resolve Our Past, We Need Knowledge: Past experiences and cultural backgrounds offer invaluable lessons for future growth.
2. To Shape Our Future, We Need Courage: Courage forms the foundation for progress.
3. To Experience the Present, We Must Develop Commitment: Choices are an extension of our core commitments.
4. Our Thinking Needs Puzzles to Awaken: Cognitive challenges propel mental and emotional evolution.
5. Our Feeling Needs Pain to Mature: Painful experiences, like the recent tragedy or the loss of spirit in my client, serve as catalysts for re-evaluating priorities.
6. Our Will Needs Resistance to Become Strong: Resistance can be a crucible for transformation.
The Power of Words: A Divine Responsibility
In my role as a core mentor I am acutely aware of the transformational impact of words — on actions, on realities and ultimately on character. That is why I emphasize intentional language for both myself and my clients. For instance my client professed a desire for a growth mindset, only to contradict her own words through her actions.
The weight and responsibility of each word we utter are underlined by a foundational teaching found in the Gospel of John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Words are not mere symbols or auditory cues; they are the architectural blueprints of our existence. They hold the divine power to either confine us to our limited perspectives or liberate us into expansive new realities.
The Culmination: Transformative Wisdom
Life's unpredictable events serve as the crucible where our perceptions, commitments and language merge to craft our reality. We are not passive spectators in life's theater but active playwrights. Our words, beliefs and actions write our script, set our stage and define our characters.
The Choice: Freedom or Confinement
In the face of life's uncertainties and tragedies we confront a fundamental choice: to remain prisoners of our own perceptions or to liberate ourselves through self-awareness, transformative change and purposeful action. The choice, as always, is ours to make.
Whether it's a tragedy compelling us to re-evaluate the essence of life or a mentor-client relationship prompting us to shift long-standing worldviews, we must recognize: “how we see the world is how we create the world”. This realization underscores the need for deliberate self-awareness, reflection and language as tools for creation and nurturing the spirit—truths made vividly clear in both my professional interactions and the recent tragic events.
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