We all view life and events through a prism that has many facets.  Our beliefs, our experiences, what we are taught and accept as truth, and what we choose to see—and not to see.

We can’t be wholly objective about anything because of our personal prism.  We can strive to be objective, really work at it, but that’s about the best we can do.  For believers, this desire leads to lots of prayers for clarity and truth.

In seeking clarity and truth, we expand our prism, so to speak.  We are open to other viewpoints, to possibilities we haven’t yet considered.  And we’re willing to incorporate what we find that is logical, reasonable, and deemed to be good and honest into our prism. That expands it.

Will we always be right?  No.  Will we be right more often?  Highly likely. 

An open mind and a willingness to expand our thinking isn’t always an easy thing for us to accept, but it is a beautiful thing when we do.  What we discover might not be beautiful in a traditional sense.  It might be painful, hurtful, and hard.  But it is is also beautiful in that it is honest and pure—the closest we can get to clarity and truth from where we are at the moment.

As we do this, we often notice things we missed earlier.  Things that either escaped our notice all together or that we didn’t deem important at the time and later come to realize are significant.

That’s the gift in our willingness to expand our thinking, to opening our minds and hearts, to hearing and listening more and talking less.

Everyone’s prism is different and yet shares commonalities with the prisms of others.  We won’t agree on everything, but expanding our own prism bodes well for us agreeing on more.

Especially in times where the world seems rife with disagreement, isn’t unity in part a blessing?  Isn’t it comforting—whether in discovering we are not alone or in we’re not totally out in left field?

There is beauty and heartbreak in everyone’s prism.  If we remember that, open our minds and hearts, rediscover compassion and empathy, perhaps we can do better at getting along and actually thrive together.  In our own ways, on our own paths, but in harmony and with respect.

Blessings,

Vicki Hinze