Victimhood
Daily Meditation #236–10/16/2022
In many ways we are slaves to our perceptions.
Far worse, however, are the chains keeping us bound to our misperceptions.
For many among us, we may believe we are poor.
Weak.
Stupid.
Untalented.
And in some ways, we’re probably right.
I believe myself to be woefully untalented as a musician or artist…
But am fairly confident in my ability to, instead, create music through words and paint tapestries with writing.
And yet, if you put me in front of an instrument or a canvas, I’d do my best!
However, these misperceptions are highly limiting to ourselves.
If you think you’re poor, then you’re absolutely right, even if you’ve got $100,000. You are misperceiving the fact you are very well off relative to many. In fact, you may even be a 1%’er to some in certain countries.
If you think you’re weak, then you’re absolutely right, even if you bench 300 pounds. You are misperceiving the fact you are very powerful relative to those life-bound to a wheelchair.
If you think you’re stupid, then you’re absolutely right, even if you were top of your class. You are misperceiving that there are countless disabled individuals who would love to have your version of “stupid.”
Whatever victim idea you have about yourself, you’re right. You’re right in your own prison of your mind.
Perception is one of the most unfathomably potent tools to alter your life — for better or for worse.
Just as you can view your spouse cheating on you and leaving your as a “reason” or excuse to spiral into alcoholism, so too is it a reason to perhaps breath a breath of new air — a fresh start.
You would never intentionally make yourself handicapped.
You wouldn’t choose poverty.
No one desires to be boring or lacking talent.
So why do you misperceive that you are anything at all? Don’t allow yourself a learned helplessness.
Enable yourself to be the best version of yourself by being self-aware. Pour out gratitude for that which you do have instead of sighing about that which you do not — and make systems and plans to chase that which you desire. In that self-awareness of your misperceptions and overflowing gratitude, you will gradually find that life is already very perfect and exactly as it should be and anything else only makes it even “more perfect.”
What are you misperceiving about yourself?
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These are distillations from my coming book “YouDaimonia: the Ancient Philosophy of Human Flourishing.”
