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Your World is How You View It

April 19, 2015 by Diane

Young Woman Capturing Photo Using Vintage Camera. Monochrome Por

Picture a world where magic is commonplace. Where people of all creeds and colors sing together in harmony. Where fun is had at any age, and food is plentiful, and everyone is merry and childlike and awestruck at least once a day.

That world exists.

It’s the world of Disney.

I recently watched Saving Mr. Banks on DVD. In case you haven’t seen the film, it’s the story of Walt Disney’s quest to purchase the movie rights to Mary Poppins. But the author, P. L. Travers, is a stubborn nut to crack, and doesn’t want to part with her creation. It takes years of wooing and convincing on Disney’s part, but finally the movie gets made. Oh, sure, there’s plenty of backstory revealing why Travers is the persnickety, repressed woman that she is, but those darker scenes are outweighed by the delightful world of Disney Studios, where scriptwriters and lyricists dance around like children (and Bradley Whitford waltzing in a goofy manner is reason enough to watch the film).

Anyway, it’s a delightful movie, and I was sharing my delight with a neighbor—let’s call her Chicken Little—who agreed. She lit up, and said, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were all just a bit more reserved nowadays?” and then she deflated. “Oh, Diane, the world is going downhill.”

And I thought…really? What lens are you looking through?

But I wasn’t about to get into an argument with this woman. I wasn’t about to point out that Saving Mr. Banks is set in the early ‘60s, a time of rampant racism and the brewing of the Vietnam War and the uprising of women fed up being repressed. And before that, there were two world wars and poverty and prohibition and rationing and polio and tuberculosis and some guy named Jack the Ripper. There were men in white coats who carted you away in a straightjacket if you suffered a mental illness. There was the plague and beheadings and…well, you get my drift.

There were always frightful things afoot, but no immediate broadcasting throwing it into our faces 24/7.

I understand how Chicken Little came to adopt her particular viewpoint. She scours the internet daily, pouncing on scary, negative stories that will back up her vision of a world in decline. Through the mail she receives angry, doomsday missives from her political party. She seeks out people who hold similar negative views, and together they chew on the gristle of their dissatisfaction.

But what about the wonderfulness of the universe? It’s there, too. We might not live in a Disney world, but it’s not skidding into skid row, either, regardless of what our elected officials may spout. And while it’s important to be aware of what’s occurring around us—even the horrendous stuff—if we are unable to personally change it for the better, isn’t it best to focus on all that is good? And in so doing, expand that goodness?

Just as Disney created his own playground of the mind (and a literal one for all of us to scamper in), Chicken Little creates the world she believes in.

So I write this for the Chicken Little in us all:

Where do you aim your lens? Do you focus on the fearful tales that the media highlights? Do you dwell on the people in your life who are grit under your eyelids? Do you rehash the mistakes you’ve made?

Or do you see the possibility in every human being you encounter? Do you remember the times you triumphed? Do you speak uplifting words? Do you find humor in the craziness?

Where do you aim your lens?

Because you have a choice. You are the director of your life. You are the producer and the writer and the actor. You have a choice of whether to live in a drama or comedy or romance or fantasy or action-adventure or cartoon. And if you suffer abuse or unemployment or a life-threatening illness, or mental, physical, or spiritual pain of any kind, then you need to sharpen your focus on something joyful. You need to remember: above the clouds, the sun is always shining.

It’s not easy. Our thoughts are squirrelly things.

But I do believe it’s necessary. For the sanity of ourselves and our planet.

So let’s ask ourselves, periodically, throughout the day: Where am I aiming my lens? What view, of all the views in this buffet of life, am I choosing to focus upon?

And choose the uplifting one.


9 Comments »

  1. Carolyn says:

    Hi D,

    I’m poorly paraphrasing this quote by forgotten famous person but it was something like: If you believe you are a winner you’re correct, if you believe you are a loser you are also correct….. or something like that… it’s that old 1/2 glass of water. Something I must work on and on apparently.
    Cb

    • Diane says:

      Wasn’t it Henry Ford? “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Good one. And so true!

      I recently read a comment in a newsletter by JS, a copywriter who blasted Robert Bly (a highly successful and respected copywriter) for leading people on with books like: “Secrets of a Freelance Writer, How to Make 100,000 a Year or More.” JS claimed that copywriters couldn’t make that kind of dough nowadays, the competition was too fierce. Was he right? Yes. If that’s what he believes. It’s called the nocebo effect. Is Robert Bly right? Yes. With a positive mindset and hard work, it’s absolutely possible. This is the placebo effect.

      Just like Henry Ford said.

  2. Joan says:

    Very well said Diane! We need to focus on the positive. What fun is it to focus on the bad? Doesn’t do any good…doesn’t accomplish anything.

    • Diane says:

      So true. I wonder why it’s so hard to focus on the good? I guess it’s that reptilian brain of ours that is always scanning the environment for danger.

  3. […] Your World Is How You View It via digbydigz. There’s definitely something to be said for looking at the world this way. I’ve never met this blogger, but something tells me I’d like her if I did. […]

  4. […] posts with her readers and today she had one suggestion which really hit home for me. It is Your World is How You View It, and I really encourage you to read the entire post, which I found extraordinarily helpful. What I […]

  5. I found your post from the link on Suggestion Saturday (see the previous comment) and I then linked to it in the post I wrote today (http://daphnepurpus.com/2015/04/25/baby-firs-and-wild-poppies/). I want to thank you for a post which really hit the mark with me. Thanks!

    • Diane says:

      Thanks Daphne! I’m thrilled that this post was meaningful to you. Just when I think it’s time to back off from the blog, someone like you comes along and reads it.

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