Shrinking

7.5 billion people with an environment we can’t control. No wonder there is so much chaos. It is too large, too vast for anyone of us to understand everything that is going on. So, what do we do?

We shrink it.

By categorizing it, collating it, using heuristics, creating biases and prejudices, make snap judgments to fit a worldview we have created to make sense of it.

We shrink problems so they are not as complex. Use language that helps us get our arms around it. But the constant shrinking has an inverse effect–we then start treating our problems heavily. Everything feels on the line because it must be the most important thing that must be done. After all, we are all the center of the universe. We lose perspective. It is only when we take a breath and take a step back, that we can see more clearly. In the scheme of things, we need to lighten up and quit taking ourselves so seriously.

This isn’t trying to minimize people’s problems but to have the right perspective. We are all in this together. We can also do our part in alleviating the suffering of others when our burdens feel lighter.