54. Past
Principles
Friends and Acquaintances
The big, little, and middle picture
My friend Ruth gets the big picture and the little picture. The big
picture is that there is a maker. The little picture is the world is not
to be taken too seriously. Few religious leaders, writers, men of insight,
spiritual teachers get it as clearly. She does.
Between the big and little picture is the middle. It is here that she
is off and pays for it. She hasn't dealt with certain issues in her life
and is in denial over them. She avoids any conflict that confronting them might
engender. Instead she stays busy and runs from them. She is a good friend,
does a lot of this and that, but much of it is running from basic issues she
hasn't faced. She has a monthly check list with activities and dinners and
needy friends and games and so on. She sees different people for “catch
up” every six weeks or so. Who knows, even though she walks five miles a
day, a recent terminal illness might have stemmed from her not dealing with
things. She is living her life on wrong premises. These “friends”
don't help her out in life when she is ill, or when she needs to go to the
doctor. They are present sometimes, but disappoint her other times.
She is just wired into who she is and seems incapable of change. Many of
her premises in life seem wrong. Yet, I think she is cute and I will miss
her when she is gone.
Ruth gets the big and little picture. It is also easy to see where she is off
with her illusions. What is scary is that we all might be off in some
way. And all our premises might be off. We all might be ineffective
in changing them. We all might have to pay for this, even if we get the
big and little picture.
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