Judgment - Losing Sight of the Real You
Imagine looking in the mirror and seeing someone else's face. Frightened? Confused? Wondering whether you're dreaming? The level of concern here connects us to why we get frustrated when other people don't seem to see us accurately. We act in an 'as if' universe, where our behavior is done 'as if' it is as immediately understandable and clear to everyone else as it is to ourselves. When the reality that others don't have immediate clear access to our own minds, comes crashing down with all the weight of their judgment, there's often an immediate feeling of annoyance, if not outright anger.
I believe the pure relief and joy of 'being seen' makes sense when placed against the backdrop of living a life in a world that doesn't conform to our 'as if' belief. There's a weight lifted and that release forms many a basis for love and intimacy. Of course it does. Who wouldn't want to create a life with someone who, out of the thousands that came before, takes away the constant wariness of looking in the mirror of our social interactions and possibly not seeing our own face?
Why is it, then, so difficult for others to understand us? We're the same species. We're using the same words in sentences that, in a specific culture, are generally accepted as having a common meaning. While we will accept that other people don't have access to our inner mind, this seems a small thing. Unfortunately it isn't small. It's not even large. It's the whole problem.
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