Life's Treasures

"More than a few fairy tales feature the theme of characters who accidentally find a treasure. They’re not searching for treasure, don’t feel worthy of it, and aren’t fully prepared for it. They may initially not even know what they’re looking at, and see it as preposterous or abnormal or disquieting. Who could blame them if they ran away from the treasure? In order to recognize and claim it, they might have to shed a number of their assumptions about the way the world works. And they might have to clear up a discrepancy between their unconscious longings and their conscious intentions."

Being someone driven by emotions and the heart, I immediately interpret the treasure as people and love. I interpret that treasure as people with something special to give us which should be, as a result, treasured. It seems that, just as the above states, that treasure comes along when we aren't searching for it. We may have plans of our own and a vision of how we'll live our lives. We may feel defeated in a lot of ways...our experiences having left us feeling jaded and pessimistic. Regardless, it seems that little gems get placed in our paths and those gems represent something of great value.

These treasures, big or small, change our perception of life. If we can shed our assumptions and swallow our pride, we can embrace the gems that offer something special. Just as the above states, there are often discrepancies between our unconscious longings and our conscious intentions. One of my assumptions about how the world works is that we hide behind these conscious intentions too often. We develop some idea of how to live that will hopefully protect us and serve our selfish purposes. Those conscious intentions are set into place ignoring the subconscious longings we know are deep inside of us. Some of us are scared of those longings because they involve risk that could bring hurt. Unfortunately, many of us are scared of those longings not because of a fear of hurt, but the opinions of other people. However, in order to claim the treasures life drops around us, we have to shed those assumptions of how the world works and explore our subconscious longings.

Treasures can teach us. They can teach us about ourselves and about our lives. They can teach us about humanity as well as humility. That may be their contribution to our journeys. They can also provide something even greater and long-lasting. They may be a treasure to keep close to our hearts throughout our journeys. What I do know is that we'll never know their worth if we don't let our guards down to claim the treasures as our own. We may pass by our most valuable discoveries.

"Never take a person for granted. Hold every person close to your heart because you might wake up one day and realize that you've lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones."

ONLY THE CONCEALED WORD IS DANGEROUS

"Some people will not tolerate such emotional honesty in communication. They would rather defend their dishonesty on the grounds that it might hurt others. Therefore, having rationalized their phoniness into nobility, they settle for superficial relationships."

"Dare to be true: nothing can need a lie: A fault, which needs it most, grows two thereby." George Herbert

"The cruelest lies are often told in silence." Adlai Stevenson

"The truth is the only thing worth having, and, in a civilized life, like ours, where so many risks are removed, facing it is almost the only courageous thing left to do." E.V. Lucas

We choose to say or don't say, show or don't show, do or don't do for our own reasons, which are typically self-serving. Out of fear, shame, pride, and simply self-preservation, we hold it in. I, myself, have become more introverted during this last year than I've ever been. I am not proud to admit that, but I'm just being honest with myself and the rest of the cyber world. Being emotionally open and often times brutally honest has always come easy to me. It's been my relief and therapy in a lot of ways. Being introverted is not in my character nor do I want it to be, but there's something that has kept me from expressing myself as I know I should. Change needs to be made here because every relationship is at stake when words and feelings go unshared.

My theory on trust is that trust can only be built through open communication. Offering information without being asked is the most effective way to build my trust, for instance. I'm sure every person is different, so I don't want to generalize it, but building trust takes a certain openness. Sharing thoughts and feelings and histories and dreams and whatever else is on your mind shows you want to be trusted. I know that some people are more open than others, but when building trust, I can't think of anything better or more effective than honesty.

Honesty to me is leaving nothing unsaid. Naturally, things will go unsaid or unshared, but it shouldn't be an intentional act. We often have a misconception that choosing not to do/say something is not an action at all. I disagree. Making a choice not to do/say is just that - a choice. It's a decision we make, whether in the forefront of our conscious or not. I don't believe in the theory that keeping something from a person protects them from the truth. Honesty is liberation. It liberates each of us from the burden that we carry and it liberates the unknowing allowing them to make decisions based on the facts. We can only make decisions using the information we are presented with. Therefore, present away because I'd like to make knowledgeable decisions. Wouldn't you?

Unspoken words create doubt, uncertainty, distrust, and hesitation. We all owe it to ourselves to self-preserve, but we also owe it to each other to be honest. What are we here for if not to make things a little easier for each other?

"The key is to get to know people and trust them to be who they are. Instead, we trust people to be who we want them to be and when they're not, we cry."

"A half truth is a whole lie." Yiddish Proverb

"We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger." Tad Williams

"There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience." French Proverb