Objectivity
“freedom from bias”
One of the core tenets of “A Course in Miracles” is that we give everything all the meaning it has for us. It’s actually the second lesson. Something happens or we see a recognizable object and consciously or subconsciously we already have an opinion about it based on some past experience. And because of that we lose our bias about it. This is neither good nor bad. The challenge for us is…are we aware that we’re reacting to it due to our preconceived meaning or are we responding to what “is”, objectively, in the present moment?
This story demonstrates it well:
This is the story of an old Chinese farmer who lived many years ago. He had one old horse that he used to plough his fields. One day, the horse ran away into the hills. Everyone said, “We are so sorry for your bad luck. The old man replied, “Bad luck, good luck, who knows?” A week later, the horse returned with a herd of wild horses, which now belonged to the old man. Everyone said, “We are so happy for your good luck!” The old man replied, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” While his only son was riding one of the wild horses, he fell off and broke his leg. Everyone said, “What bad luck!” The old man replied, “Bad luck, good luck, who knows?” One day, the army came to the village, and took all the strong young men to be soldiers for the emperor. Only the old farmer’s son was spared, because he could not fight with a broken leg. Everyone said, “What good luck!” The old man replied, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?”
Today’s MotD encourages us to consider, as things “happen”, taking an extra moment to go to ground zero, a place where “it is what it is” before assuming or reacting to what we think it means. For instance if you receive an envelope in the mail from the IRS, instead of freaking out or thinking you’re in trouble, take a moment to be present with it. The fact is, it is an envelope that was mailed from the IRS. That’s it. It’s neither good nor bad. Like the story: “good luck, bad luck, who knows?” Open the envelope and now there is a letter…it’s just a piece of paper with writing on it. Again: “good luck, bad luck, who knows?” and so on…
If this is a stretch for you, you could start by going about your day noticing objects objectively…letting go of whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing…or whether you like it or not. That’s a plate. That’s a mug. That’s a chair. That’s my neighbor. That’s a red light. This is traffic. And so on.
The whole idea about ACIM is to bring ourselves back to our true nature: to be at peace. And one way to get there is to allow ourselves to be free from bias.
How about you? Is objectivity a core value for you?
BTW…here’s what it looked like to begin with…
joyfully,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
inspiring and encouraging creativity, curiosity, and play through the art of mandalas
About the 2024 Mandalas of the Day
Each day I will create and post a mandala inspired by one of 366 “value” words chosen randomly. The objective being to discover for myself which ones would best represent my core values…and by doing so, I hope it inspires you to determine your own.
Mandala of the Day 