Expectations.

Life is about managing expectations.

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” ~Alexander Pope

... this is easier said that done.  It's within our nature to have expectations.  I'd imagine that part of our advancement as a species stems from developing predictive cognitive abilities and being able to draw conclusions without having to actually experience them in real time.  However, it's not too far reaching to understand the concept that expectations are the root of disappointment.

All too often, the problem isn't having personal expectations but rather the imposition of expectations onto others.  Judging them by an unseen and unknown list of standards...and that's fundamentally unfair.  This is simply setting people up to let you down which leads to disappointment and ultimately will fester into resentment.  We're in an age where communication lines are so abundant and instantaneous that we've really lost sight of it's value, and like anything that comes too easily, we take it granted.

“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” ~Anais Nin

We have a tendency to see things through "me" colored lenses.  It's exceedingly difficult to assess a situation objectively and see it for what it is without having that personal bias.  I'm not even necessarily saying that one should, but for the purpose of this stream of consciousness I'm standing by my theory that for peace and happiness in life, one must learn to approach the situation not only on a personally, but universally as well.  It's paramount that we understand that we're each fighting our own battles and that one can certainly not presume to have walked a mile in another's shoes.  However long it took us to develop these habits and perspectives; wouldn't it stand to reason that it would take equally as long to change them?

... or don't need.

It's times like these when I find it necessary to internalize. Sometimes, the mere act of looking inward to find out if the questions you have are rhetorical will reveal profound epiphany. Oftentimes the questions you ask are left unanswered only because you don't want to hear the answer. Why do we have this intrinsic need to be right? To have everyone involved understand your side of the story but yet have such little motivation to understand the situation as a whole. We're so damn solipsistic. The truth will always reveal itself, so there's no need to fret, there's nothing you can do to change it anyway.

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” ~Buddha

Truth is unbiased, unemotional, it cares not who you are, who you were, or who you will be. Truth is the everlasting constant. How you choose to react to it is just that... a choice.

choose wisely.