Succinctly highlighting the significance of perspective, Author James Branch Cabell wrote, “The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”
It is difficult to contradict the notion that one’s point of view is as important as what one is looking at. This is good to keep in mind, especially around the nationally sanctioned occasion for giving thanks.
Succinctly highlighting the significance of perspective, Author James Branch Cabell wrote, “The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”
It is difficult to contradict the notion that one’s point of view is as important as what one is looking at. This is good to keep in mind, especially around the nationally sanctioned occasion for giving thanks.
It is easy (and natural) to enumerate this life’s endless roll of tribulations. The boss is an unreasonable megalomaniac, the traffic is unbearable today, this lump under my arm is a real bother, my clients are skinflint morons, the phone reception is awful here, my car is making that noise again, gas is so darn expensive, the neighbors have their ugly Christmas decorations up already, my arthritis is acting up, there’s never any parking at this mall… My goodness, will there never be an end to our suffering?
Of course, if we take a moment to look up from our brimming bowl of self-pity, it is easy to note the gruel of our daily grind is comparatively easy to swallow.
Just the other day, I was feeling mightily oppressed by the Conditions that Prevail. I’d compiled a long litany of troubles and current challenges requiring confrontation. Oh, woe is me, working so hard to scratch out a living in this hard, harsh world. Oh, lamentation, that keeping fit requires so much energy. Oh, injustice, that I must struggle to keep a roof over my head, maintain my vehicle, and deal with so many conflicting demands on my time. Oh, anguish, how long must I carry the weight of these burdens?
Then I opened my eyes to a number of realities too close to home. I saw a friend’s facebook post on the anniversary of his child’s passing. At the nursing home where I write the newsletter, watched family members strain to interact with disoriented loved ones. Passed a group of severely disabled kids at the mall. Heard about a former co-worker who’s been out of work for more than two years. Remembered the ex-classmate who lost his house to Hurricane Sandy.
Fact is, maintaining perspective can be done with an honest glance in any direction. I hear the ambulance siren and know it is not my medical emergency. I watch the news and recall my home, village, or country is not being blown up by insurgents or government troops. I read a magazine article about how the desperately poor survive in the developing world’s massive city slums.
And I am forced to admit, I don’t have it so bad. I voted in a free and fair national election. I need not bribe local officials or police for services or security. My path to greater prosperity is not blocked by my race, caste, tribal affiliation, or access to education. So, yeah, comparatively speaking, I got it good.
There are changes to deal with, yes, but those hurdles are smaller when held up to the bright light of the Big Picture. So, this Thanksgiving, I’ll be thinking about my glass being half full and then some. Keeping things in perspective, I’d say there is a great deal to be grateful for.
Pat Grimes, a former South Bay resident, writes from Ypsilanti, Mich. He can be reached at pgwriter@inbox.com.
