{"id":325,"date":"2010-03-13T16:31:15","date_gmt":"2010-03-13T21:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/karencasey.wordpress.com\/?p=325"},"modified":"2010-03-13T16:31:15","modified_gmt":"2010-03-13T21:31:15","slug":"what-we-see-is-what-we-choose-to-see-what-a-concept","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.womens-spirituality.com\/?p=325","title":{"rendered":"What we see is what we choose to see.  What a concept. . ."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>WE CAN NOT DIRECTLY CHANGE THE WORLD, BUT WE CAN CHANGE HOW WE CHOOSE TO SEE IT<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This principle isn\u2019t a simple one.\u00a0 Believing that it is our task to change the world around us isn\u2019t uncommon to people who want to be accountable and responsible citizens.\u00a0 But over time, I have come to believe that changing how we think comes first.\u00a0 Our behavior changes next, and the world then, <strong><em>and only then<\/em><\/strong>, reflects those changes.\u00a0 It\u2019s clear we have work to do.\u00a0 There is much in the world that needs changing.\u00a0 But changing how we think, the first task, isn\u2019t an easy one.\u00a0 Our mind set has become habitual and it takes concentrated willingness and effort to even consider there is another way to perceive the world around us.\u00a0 But we can do it.<\/p>\n<p>The impact individuals can have on the world has been demonstrated, historically, by many powerful people.\u00a0 Recall for a moment the efforts of even a few of these: Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, Ghandi, even Betty Ford for what she did on behalf of lessening the stigma of alcoholism.\u00a0 Even today, we continue to feel the impact of the changes minds such as theirs had the courage to make.\u00a0 And for none of them, were the opinions they held easily protected.\u00a0 Many people fought against their ideas.\u00a0 In fact, three of the five were assassinated for their views.\u00a0 But the ideas they cherished have lived on.<\/p>\n<p>We are all being called to look closely at this world we share and to ask ourselves, \u201cIs this the world I want to live in?\u00a0 The world I want my children and grandchildren to inherit?\u201d\u00a0 And if it\u2019s not, be willing to do the next right thing to change it.\u00a0 And for most of us, the next right thing might be to change our minds so that we can see the potential for a different world.\u00a0 I am familiar with a spiritual path that says we always see what we want to see.\u00a0 It goes on to say that if we want a \u201cdifferent picture,\u201d we must project one.\u00a0 I used to think that making us responsible for the picture that gets projected was denying what actually existed.\u00a0 Now I am grateful that I am seeing what I have chosen to see.\u00a0 Becoming accountable for the world \u201cout there,\u201d makes me much more conscious about how easily my thoughts lead me to places I don\u2019t really want to go.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a very hopeful assignment to be in charge of the world we see.\u00a0 Taking responsibility for helping to make this a more peaceful, loving world, is a worthy task for any day.\u00a0 And it begins, for each one of us, by seeking to see the people who come into our circle of contacts as children of God, just like ourselves, looking for understanding, the hand of peace, perhaps forgiveness, and always for love.\u00a0 We can be the giver of each of these things.\u00a0 Being willing to take up this charge is the contribution that will, in concert with others, change the world in the key ways that can make it a better place for our offspring.\u00a0 The world will be what we want it to be.\u00a0 The power to make this so is ours.\u00a0<em><strong>Waking up to the opportunities that come with being responsible for our minds, our behaviors, our actions, promises to make this day an exciting one and one that will positively affect the life of every one we connect with. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-family:Helvetica, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif;font-size:small;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WE CAN NOT DIRECTLY CHANGE THE WORLD, BUT WE CAN CHANGE HOW WE CHOOSE TO SEE IT. This principle isn\u2019t a simple one.\u00a0 Believing that it is our task to change the world around us isn\u2019t uncommon to people who want to be accountable and responsible citizens.\u00a0 But over time, I have come to believe [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[42,172,216],"class_list":["post-325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-what-i-believe-you-and-your-higher-power","tag-choice","tag-projection","tag-what-we-see-matches-what-we-think"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What we see is what we choose to see. What a concept. . . | Karen Casey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.womens-spirituality.com\/?p=325\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What we see is what we choose to see. What a concept. . . | Karen Casey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WE CAN NOT DIRECTLY CHANGE THE WORLD, BUT WE CAN CHANGE HOW WE CHOOSE TO SEE IT. 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