We see what we want to see...

Recently I went with my friends to buy a suit for myself. There is this age old rivalry between my body and readymades… they never fit.

After a bit of time and effort, I finally liked a suit with a beautiful blazer design. As I tried it on, the shoulders, collar and chest fit perfectly, as if it was made for me.

But, the mid section was way too narrow and my “prosperity” around the waist was clearly visible.

I was busy looking at the well fitting parts of the blazer and was more than willing to buy it.

All this time, my friends were looking at the waist and not willing to buy it.

Finally I agreed and we moved on to the next shop in our quest for the “Perfect Fitting Suit”

What set me thinking was that because I liked the design of the blazer and the way it fit on the shoulders, I was willing to ignore the bad fitting at the waist.

At the same time, because my friends were looking at the bad fitting, they were not willing to look at the well fitting portions of it.

Had a similar experience in office a few days ago. I was working on a particularly complicated document. All this time I was paying special attention to every calculation and checked and double checked to make sure it was fine. When I finally sent out the document, my senior came back asking why I had not covered a point in the introduction section. This was supposed to be a very basic, simple point but was critical to the clarity of the whole document. In my entire focus on the complicated, I had overlooked the simple things in the document.

Was just thinking about a loved one last night and again this concept was glaring in my face.

I was thinking how in the last few years, that person has become less caring, has done a few wrongs and a distance has been created because of these things. Right now, I’m seeing the wrongs in that person and willing to let go of the relationship. But this is the same person who helped in a very critical part of my early life and unknowingly is responsible for where I have grown today.

Why am I not seeing those goods in the person to keep the relationship.

Just because I like a person, I’m willing to see the good on that person… and just because I don’t like a person, I’m able to see only the bad in that person.

Why go too far… he / she has a crooked nose, is too fat etc… but because of that will you let go of that special friend? No… Because you are willing to see the good qualities, you don’t care about the physical appearances.

When I was learning auditing, my boss always used to say… “Gulshan, you hear only what you want to hear… you see only what you want to see. Come out of that trap and see the information as a whole, both the rights and the wrongs, only then you can be a good auditor”

Without realizing, he was giving me a lesson of life…

“If I can rise above what I want to see, I can see a lot more.”

One sees a difficult exam… another sees less competition…

One sees recession… another sees time to consolidate…

One sees possessiveness… another sees jealousy…

One sees caring… another sees interference…

One sees Hitler… another sees discipline…

One sees ahimsa… another sees cowardice…

One sees faith… another sees superstition…

We see what we want to see!!!