A sense of perspective

Now this is something we really struggle with, particularly in the good old developed world. Tomorrow's papers here in the UK will be dominated by England's defeat in the World Cup, yet this really doesn't matter does it? It's a game at the end of the day, not life or death and certainly not worth the attention it receives, surely? But it is a difficult balance to strike. For some it is everything, for others a blip on the radar.

Personally I think it is healthy to have things you care about, and they don't always have to be the "serious" problems of the day. In some respects it is important to have these "lighter" outlets and these reminders that life shouldn't be taken too seriously. But we often then find ourselves in the bizarre position of then treating these "relaxing interludes" as being more important than the things we are trying not to take so seriously. Similiarly, but conversely, we can be overly relaxed about some items which maybe are more important than we first give them credit for.

So many things get distorted and twisted into such a position that they can seem like the end of the world - and to some people they are. To be fair, context is very important here. One person's life or death situation cna obviously correspond to something which doesn't even register on someone else's radar. It is hard for all of us to get that balance right and it is a something for which there is no right answer.

Everyone struggles with these things throughout life. We've all been guilty I'm sure of overplaying the importance of something in the past, equally I'm sure we've all had opportunity to look back and say "hmmm, maybe that was important after all!". Once again it is about balance though, as so many things in life are. Balance is something we all need, whether we realise it or not!

Passion is fantastic, having things to care about is a big part of life. Everything needs a context though I think that is where we can all do a bit better. There is nothing wrong with being devastated that England have lost tonight, but remember that there will be people who couldn't give two hoots. You might not care one jot about politics, but to others it is the whole world for example.

A sense of perspective helps to breed a culture of tolerance and understanding. Learning to appreciate what makes others tick and what others care about, without diluting your own passions and cares - that can go a long way to making the world a better place.

Till next time,
DT