RESOLVING THE CRISIS OF PERCEPTIONIS A CHOICE

This is a continuation of my previous post.    An expansion of the ideas I started with.   I actually posted this on my photo blog because I had images to help illustrate what I wanted to say.   So rather than just copy it here I'll just include this link for those that are interested.

http://mobiusfaith.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/resolving-the-crisis-of-perception-is-a-choice/

Thanks everyone for reading.   Peace.

mobius faith

A CRISIS OF PERCEPTION

I sometimes wonder if what we are suffering from in our world today is simply the result of a crisis of perception.   Why do we have the perceptions that we have?   Can those perceptions be changed?   Should they be changed?

Albert Einstein said,

"The problems that exist in the world today
cannot be solved at the same level
of thinking that created them."   

I wonder if that's the mistake we are making as we look at different issues in our world - the issues of Terrorism, Islam, fundamentalism and patriotism.   I think we are trying to resolve these issues at the same level of thinking that allows these problems to be manifest in the first place.  It seems so far that the Wests response to these issues is no different than the response of the perpetrators.   Both sides claim they are in the "right"  on religious and political grounds and seek the enslavement or elimination of the other.  Here in the United states this same crisis was seen during the Revolution, the expansion into the west and it's reservation policy to the original inhabitants of this land.   It was also seen in the Civil War and the civil rights movement with America's European values toward slavery and the black man.   And now we see a repetition of this crisis in the West's view towards Islam.  Trying to attack a problem with the same approaches that created the problem - even if they were from different ideological basis - does not resolve the problem - it only escalates the conflict.

Thanks for reading,
mobius faith.

Snippet #9

Our differences make life beautiful - finding reasons to praise our enemies. 

Maybe the above sentiment may seem strange to you but that is what I found myself thinking this morning in my devotional time.   My reading today included Psalm 8.  The verse that triggered the whole thought process for me was #2,

"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."

Children and infants are so non-judgemental.   They are innocent.   They have not learned the perceptions and prejudices that will later be ingrained in their personalities by the environment they grow up in.  They are innocent because they depend on others to care for them or they would die.  And a child does not care where that help comes from.   Their praise will will disarm any foe or enemy.   In fact this same praise silences the "foe" and "avenger."  Now this is a different way of looking at our enemies than what adults have.    In fact many have interpreted this as "state your position louder and with more force".   But a child's praise is neither forceful or obnoxious.   It just is.   As adults I think we can learn from this that we really should look at celebrating our differences and seek a peaceful coexistence with those who disagree with us, are argumentative, hateful and even violent.  When we seek opportunities to praise those who we may/may not label as enemies we are seeking a peaceful solution to life's difficulties and disarming others of that which may be disagreeable in their personalities, expressions, and ideas

Thanks for reading,

mobius faith

The above image is titled BROKEN LINES