Some things look perfectly clear, yet may not be right.
When someone stays silent, we think they look down on us.
When someone does not reply, we think they do not respect us.
When something does not go our way, we immediately assume someone is at fault.
But between what happens and what we think about it, there is always a gap.
That gap is exactly where perception most easily goes wrong.
Clear discernment is not speaking eloquently, nor arguing to defeat others.
It is the ability to pause before a conclusion reached too quickly:
Is what I see the truth, or only my way of interpreting the truth?
A glance may be cold.
Or the person may simply be tired.
A word may hurt us.
But before judging the one who said it, we need to know whether we have heard the whole story.
People are rarely hurt by events alone.
Often, they are hurt by the meaning they give to those events.
That is why clear discernment begins with a very small gesture:
Slowing down a little before believing our own thoughts.
Not doubting everything.
But giving the truth a chance to appear in full.
Seeing clearly is not yet seeing rightly.
Only by learning to pause do we begin to learn how to see.
GenkiSage
