I believe that much of the quality of our lives lies less in what happens to us, and more in how we choose to interpret and react to events.
Dr. Scott Galloway of “No Mercy, No Malice” blog fame once remarked that his experience had taught him that “Nothing is as good or as bad as it seems.”
The Roman philosopher Seneca taught that “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.
The writer and philosopher Alan Watts observed that “The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad – because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.”
Mr. Watt’s comment was delightfully illustrated in a story about a series of events in a farmer’s life whose wisdom in their interpretation might be an example for us. Take 2 minutes for a video that you’ll want to share.
Thanks to Vistage St. Louis Member Jim Goebel, CEO of Sotel Systems, for sharing this.
