Oh, it would be so nice if we could just control the world. If everything we wanted in life was as we wanted it. We could control everything and everybody. We could change the world and we would be much happier. If we could just make everyone listen and do as we say, the world would be a better place. Instead we have to tolerate each other, experiencing sadness and/or anger when things don’t go our way.
Well, we can wish for a day where we control everything and everybody, but I don’t think that’s coming any time soon. In the meantime, perhaps we can learn to change our vision…
Changing Our Vision
There was a very wealthy man who was bothered by severe eye pain. He consulted many physicians and was being treated by several. He did not stop consulting a galaxy of medical experts; he consumed heavy loads of drugs and underwent hundreds of injections. But the ache persisted with more vigor than before.
At last, a monk who was supposed to be an expert in treating such patients was called for by the suffering man. The monk understood his problem and said that for sometime he should concentrate only on green colors and not to let his eyes fall on any other colors. It was a strange prescription, but he was desperate and decided to try it.
The millionaire got together a group of painters and purchased barrels of green paint and directed that every object his eye was likely to fall to be painted green just as the monk had directed. When the monk came to visit him after few days, the millionaire’s servants ran with buckets of green paint and poured it on him since he was in red dress, lest their master see any other color and his eye ache would come back.
Hearing this, the monk laughed and said “If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth just a few dollars, you could have saved these walls and trees and pots and all other articles and also could have saved a large share of his fortune. You cannot paint the world green.”
Let us change our vision and the world will appear accordingly. It is foolish to shape the world, let us shape ourselves first.
The Takeaway
If you look for the bad things in this world, you will see it. If you look for the good things in this world, you’ll find that too. In my years of experience, I have learned that if I want the world to be a better place, I have to change. I have to change the way I see the world and everyone in it, instead of wishing for the world to change for me. No, we won’t always be happy as sad times will fall upon us all. But if we can see the world differently, in a more positive view, those sadder times will be fewer and farrer between.
Instead of trying to paint the world green, save a lot of heartache and headache, and simply buy a pair of green spectacles.