Posted by Raul on June 11, 2010
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Sometimes it becomes so frustrating! We all know we have to fight ourselves to acquire or remain in the direction we want to go while we attempt to glide throughout the thick atmosphere of society and its currents that divert us in so many different directions.
Then another element show up to make things more complicated. Not only is about dealing with different parallel situations, but the set conditions also change from time to time to create the new grounds from which the elements will be dealt with from then on.
One of those new conditions it’s been bothering me for awhile now and everyday it’s becoming more acute so to remind me of those new grounds that will become the new set of rules pretty soon.
It is the vision capabilities required for activities like reading, writing and working with small objects. My short distance vision is going away.
Fortunately the long distance vision is still working as if never used before (although I do tend to decipher the future J ) When it comes to read a street sign from a block distance I can still feel like a young man and defy with it the reality of years going by without mercy.
Now, for many people this short distance vision failing is an everyday situation that I see they seem to have completely under control, or at least as a fully accepted condition, so they go around with the prescription glasses in a pocket for whenever the activities at hand will require it.
Yet for me, getting just started in this new grounds and seeing (sigh!) how the new set of rules will have to be written as the starting point for whatever direction or activity will be take, it just add an (sometimes) overwhelming point to deal with.
At the other hand it also presents the opportunity to consider the benefits of having the capability to simply shut down the vision to annoying situations without closing the eyes; just removing the reading glasses will do (sweet!)
So far a cheap, general prescription set, with the smallest (1.00) grade will do and can be easily found and bought at many grocery stores, so my hopes are that the new standards of visualizations will remain at the actual point for longer and so to get with it the time to adjust to this newer situation without falling in a forever changing river of self adjustments.
Raul
Posted by Raul on June 4, 2010
Every decision we make for whatever situation we might be in implies two sides; it seems (and it is) so basic, yet I’ve seen so many people struggling with this concept.
We make decisions based on the direction we want to go and the result we want to obtain, yet so many times we forget the other side of the coin, the other result, the consequence.
Let’s say for instance we want to have a friend for all the good things that comes with a friendship: Someone to hang out with; someone to talk to; someone we can trust; someone we can count on when we need a hand, etc. But then it’s easy to forget that it is a two ways situation and we suppose to be there for our friend just the same way we expect our friend will be there for us.
It is easy to say “but I’m doing all that for my friend” when in reality we tend to keep that friendship more as a personal convenience than a two ways relation. We call them when we need to talk or when we need a favor, yet we are busy with our own stuff when they call and need some of our time for their own problems or struggles to deal with.
Shouldn’t we always consider both sides of the coin when making a decision? If we want a friend or a lover that will be there for us whenever we need them, shouldn’t we consider the time and dedication that such situation will require from us and accept it as part of the results for the decision made and be willing to leave our own life in standby for a moment while we jump on to the situation that our friend requires from us?
At the other hand, if we are not willing to give our time and efforts at any given minute-notice, shouldn’t we accept without complains the situation of not having anyone to count on?
Another example: We need to buy a car and very easily get caught in acquiring a luxury one instead of a simple transportation vehicle that will meet our requirements for our daily errands. Then we complain for the high costs of fueling, maintenance and repairs that this luxury car implies, compared to a simple one.
Wouldn’t be smarter to consider (and visualize) not only how good it’ll feel to be driving that luxury vehicle, but also take as part of the final decision the coming expenses that such vehicle implies and how it’ll hit us in our budget when the never expected repairs show up?
We naturally tend to see just the side that interest us with (to often) complete disregard of the other side of the coin, which leads us to complaining later for the results that, in turn, reduces the satisfaction of the decision made, when most of this problems could be avoided just by always keeping in mind that any decision we make will always have two sides of a coin.
The sooner we realize this simple concept, the easier decision making will become and the more satisfaction we’ll have by the results of those decisions with less complaining later.
Simple, basic, yet I’ve seen so many people that seem to have no idea of this concept, or have made a habit of disregarding it in their decision making processes.
Raul
Posted by Raul on April 30, 2010
Walking everyday the same streets and passing through the same buildings in the same city becomes the norm for most of us.
We always look ahead and walk with thoughts in our heads that keep us busy with the everyday life’s tasks and worries.
What we always see is the same perspective ahead and behind when we turn around to see what’s behind us, yet we never look up.
Granted, it is very difficult to walk forward while looking up without tripping and falling or hitting something or someone.
But what if we stop for a moment and change our field of vision from horizontal to vertical? What if we take a brief tour with our eyes and sweep the buildings around from a level above ten feet and up? Have you done that?
Every time I do that I discover a completely new city that I’ve never seen before, even if I’ve lived in the same place for many years and walked the same path time after time.
The windows, the shapes, the accumulated dust and bird’s “signatures” There are so many things I never see when in a hurry walking while keeping the same field of vision at ground level. Another city appears in front of me and I feel like a visitor, a stranger in a familiar place.
The “second floor” of the city becomes visible and everything is new and unknown.
It is even funny if I try to identify where I am in the city just by looking at the top of the buildings from the ground. With a ground level vision the memories of many years help me identify where I am and find my way around, but with the new vision of the vertical plane to the top of the buildings there are no memories to recall and it becomes very easy to get completely lost.
Just give it a try next time you are walking the same streets for the “n” time. Stop and look up for a couple of minutes and discover all that was always there yet you never saw before.
Discover what maybe you see in other cities when you are touring and what tourist coming to your city see that you don’t. Then try to identify by memory where you are and which buildings to follow to get somewhere else.
It is fun to see and discover a new city within the same old city just by lifting the field of vision a couple of degrees from the ground level to watch the “second floor” that we usually never took the time to see before.
Raul
