John invited his friends, colleagues, and neighbors to his big house to a big party. At the entrance of the mansion, the guests received a pair of eyeglasses, which they had had to wear during their stay at his house.
All the eyeglasses looked the same, but the lenses of the eyeglasses distorted the colors and shapes of everything.
After putting on the eyeglasses, the guests entered John’s house and were escorted to a very big room where the party took place.
“What a big place it is!” One of the guests said.
“This place is so small!” another one said
“Why is everything painted green?” Another guest asked.
“It is not green, it is blue.” One of the guests retorted.
“Why all the guests are so fat?” someone asked.
“What, are you blind? They are so slim.” His friend exclaimed.
“Why all the people keep a great distance from me? When I try to get closer, they move away,” one of the guests said.
“What are you talking about? It so jammed here, there is no place to move,” another guest retorted.
This kind of conversation went on and on, each person describing the place and people differently as if they were in completely different places. They could not agree about even one thing.
This led to arguments, each person believing that he or she was right. From disagreements, they proceeded to shout at each other and then even to physical violence.
At this point, their host, who was standing near them, listening to them and watching their behavior, interfered and stopped them.
“Please stop and listen to me. I want you to take off the eyeglasses I have given you.”
The guests removed their eyeglasses and were astounded. Everything looked normal now. Every one of them saw everything at the same size and color.
“I have given you special eyeglass that distorted reality,” their host said, “some of the eyeglasses changed the colors of everything you saw, and some of them changed the size of the objects or their distance from you.
“Every one of you saw the same things, but differently.”
“So we argued in vain. It was all misunderstanding and illusion,” said one of the guests.
“Yes, that’s true.” The host confirmed. “You argued and almost fought with each other, because every one of you saw reality in a different way. The eyeglasses distorted what you saw, and you accepted what you saw without thinking or investigating why everyone saw different things.”
Then, one of the guests asked, “Why did you do this to us?”
“I wanted to show you how people defend their opinions and what they believe, without investigating whether their onions or beliefs are true. I also wanted to show you how easy it is to shape people’s minds and thinking.”
People Think Differently and Believe in Different Things
What did you learn from this story?
Sticking to certain opinions and beliefs happens in everyday life without physical eyeglasses. Each person wears a metaphorical set of eyeglasses and sees life in a certain way.
People think differently and believe in different things, and consequently, disagree, argue and even fight against each other.
It is all in the eyes of the beholder. If people could be impartial and look at things without bias and pre-conceived opinions, there would be fewer disagreements and fewer misunderstandings.
From an early age, parents, teachers, the media and circumstances shape our opinions and beliefs. This divides people into groups that often do not see eye to eye.
People are made of the same stuff physically, and all have emotions and thoughts. However, their minds are programed differently, and this is the difference between them.
Often, people with same mindset gravitate toward each other, forming groups, political parties or fans of certain singers, actors or sport teams.
Sometimes that is fine, because as a group they can grow and improve their lives. However, at other times, and too often, such groups disagree with each other and fight with one another. Each group believing its opinions and beliefs are the right ones.
Undo the Programming of Your Mind and Get Free
What would happen if you could rise above your programmed mind? What would happen if you could remove the eyeglasses from your eyes and see reality as it is?
Is it possible?
Yes, it is possible, and this is one of the purposes of this website.
True, this requires some inner work on your part and some effort and time, but the rewards are great. You become free. You gain inner peace, improved common sense, and a wider perspective of life.
You also understand yourself and other people better, and rise above misunderstandings, bias and limited thinking.
Learning to focus your mind, meditation, mindfulness, and improving your willpower and your self-discipline are a few of the steps you can take in this direction.
