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The situation right now can be quite scary. All of a sudden we have something dangerous in our midst that we cannot even see. We can have to change our perception of the world from a safe place into one where we must take care. Let me tell a nice friendly story that will not add to that fear but perhaps help us to see what we are up against, trying to change our perceptions from the norm. The nature of the story fits in many ways what we are facing.  My mother likes to tell the story of a lady, blind from birth, who visited her primary school many years ago. She came to tell the kids about her life as a blind person and brought her guide dog. The kids were fascinated. First of all they were surprised that she was so smiling and happy, surely it must be terrible to be blind? Or, more generally, surely people who are sick must look or feel sick? The blind lady gave out certificates to the kids at the end of the little course. She held them out. Still the kids had to be reminded that they had to take these from her because she could not see them. They had to overcome their usual manners to act appropriately. These stories illustrate so well just how difficult it is to form a new perception of something we have never encountered before and then act accordingly. How we have our preconceptions to overcome first of all, then our habits. It’s not so easy. It is also the case that people if they are sick or disabled have to rely on the help of others. This is also not straightforward, the helpers can have their own feelings: The blind lady’s guide dog was very well trained. It could take her everywhere she needed to go in the local town. Yet whenever she had to take the dog to the vet, she knew she would have to ask someone else to go with her because the dog would always take her the wrong way. I offer this for your reflection Ajahn Kalyāno http://www.openthesky.co.uk Comments are closed.
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