Reality can be so potent that it becomes misleading. Events in life are much like scenes in a story. Each and every one is important to the whole narrative. Isolated moments can throw the entire picture off if they aren't held in contrast with the rest of the dialogue or image.

It is so easy for us to isolate our own story from the the stories of those around us. We can negate the importance of context, plot and narrative. I would say that many of us have a hunger to know what is "really going on" and so we speculate. As a result, we are often unwilling to wait till the end of the story to form our conclusions. This is problematic because conclusions formed before the end may be premature and thus inaccurate.

I am guilty of this...frequently. I always want to know what is really happening beneath the surface of a particular moment. I often forget that hindsight is 20/20, and if I would just be patient and wait the picture would eventually be clear. Furthermore, I can't just sit on the sidelines listening and thinking until I can fully see. No, I must fully participate because I too am a part of the narrative in tandem with others.

Evenmore, I have a habit of choosing individual moments and/or statements as focal points. This can be both a positive or negative process. It can be positive when the focal point is one of hope, encouragement or perseverance that pushes me to live in the present with hope for the future. On the flip side, most moments are defined by those that come before and after them. If all of the moments leading up to a particular scene are positive, but all proceeding incidents are negative the focal point may become negative. Negative focal points can be disjointing, and can leave one in a funk. They an even blind a person from seeing when the negative has transitioned to a more positive state.

So, what do we do about this?

If I had an answer, I would not have asked. Ok, you are right. I might have, but this time the question is not rhetorical.

What do we do?