LENS AT WORK.

Having the ability to see things from different perspectives is one thing that many of us are not gifted with, rigidity is what yields judgement. For me, this became clear when one of my friends used one of my past experiences to prove a habit I may have developed. Well, I am not sure if you have been in a position where a close confidant uses something you shared with them to point out your flaw, it is usually one of those below the belt comments. I was shook by the audacity they had to say something like that. Being a good listener, one who listens to how you say something, why, when, and what you didn’t say. It is with this strength I have been able to know one’s intention and sniff out disloyalty as soon as it shows up. One of the belief systems I live by is ‘Built by your Environment, Broken by its Consequence’. When I realized how profound this statement resonated with me I knew there and then you are the one who can control it.
Looking back at one of the legends, Tupac, his music was built on the environment he grew up in, the good, the bad, and the in-between. However, it was broken, stopped by its consequence, the THUG LIFE. If you look into other people’s lives that were short-lived, this is a common trend that comes into play. Now, which consequences are you willing to take you out? Being a product of your environment you need to be careful not to be consumed by other people’s views of who you are.
Many of us are told to take charge of our life and let the things that break us fuel us, but at what cost? Don’t get me wrong I am for that, provided whatever that is doesn’t leave you still losing sleep or looking over your shoulder day and night. The bad happening in the world can somehow lead one to misstep no matter how careful you try to be, but it’s upon you to forgive yourself and those who put you in such a position either knowingly or unknowingly. We need to get to a point where to heal a wound doesn’t mean opening or creating others but by shifting each others’ perspectives on how to view life.
Meaning everyone might see you differently or the same with respect to how you relate to them if you know each other, what they’ve heard about you from people who know you, or by how they were brought up to think. It’s not always black and white in this world and with that said, as an individual you need to know you can’t control the world’s view but change it. This comes from the power of knowing who you are, where, and when to draw the line on certain issues and most importantly how to live your life. If you live it right you just might get to see the changes you wanted to make.

You may not control the events that happen to you but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Maya Angelou.