Clear Discernment

Clear Discernment · No. 04 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…

Photo source: collected from the Internet In an age when information appears every second, what is most valuable is no longer knowing a lot, but knowing how to tell what deserves to be believed. Shared millions of times…can still be wrong. A deeply moving statement…is not necessarily true. A very popular opinion…is not necessarily the truth. That is why people need clear discernment. Clear discernment is not A habit of doubting everything A love of arguing Trying to prove ourselves right Clear discernment is Observing carefully Analysing with reason Judging by evidence rather than emotion Four questions before believing Tap each question once you have answered it for yourself. Where does this information come from? Is there any evidence to support it? Is there another perspective I have not yet…

Photo source: collected from the Internet Two people stand in the same rain. ☔The first personBlames the sky for ruining the plans. 🌾The second personSmiles because the fields have just been watered. The rain does not change.What differs is how each person sees it. Life is the same. An event happens only once, but the mind can retell it in a hundred ways. What actually happenedA message not yet answeredA plan postponedA frank piece of feedback The story the mind adds"They must not value me""I am always unlucky""They are trying to put me down" Sometimes we suffer not because life is too heavy, but because of the way we are understanding life. Try now: when something upsets you, write two lines – what actually happened, and what you are telling…

Photo source: collected from the Internet When many people say the same thing, it is very easy to believe it is true. But the majority only tells us what many people believe; it does not prove that it is right. The majority tells usWhat is popularWhat many people feel is right Clear discernment needs to knowWhat has evidenceWhat still stands after being tested A person with clear discernment neither rushes to agree nor rushes to object. They go through four steps: ListenHear the whole before drawing conclusions. ObserveLook at the matter from many sides. VerifyLook for evidence rather than for people who agree. Be ready to changeIf the truth differs from what we once believed. Independent thinking does not set us apart from the community; it brings us closer to…