Interpretation

Afew years ago, I was walking with a friend along an oceanside path at Point Reyes National Seashore when we came across a couple coming from the other direction. As we passed them and said hello, we heard a sound which prompted the man to comment on how anyone could be discharging a shotgun in a national park and he seemed more than quite annoyed. Just then I saw a whale breaching right offshore and heard the distinctive exhalation of breath and spray … at the moment the man claimed it was the shooting sound he had been hearing. Funny thing, right? Just at the time when I was experiencing an enchanted and magical moment of joy and good fortune, the exact same sound was creating disgust and anger in another.

The lesson here is that even though we seem so sure of the world we take in through our senses, the filters of our thoughts and ideas can completely mask the reality of what is actually happening. Don’t believe everything that you see, hear, or even think as it turns out that everything is an interpretation of our past beliefs, ideas, worldview, and concepts. The world can be an ever-new experience if we can stay present to what unfolds without the filters that color our moment-to-moment awareness. Easier said than done, but so worth the effort of remembering.