I was recently invited to a charity gala event in NYC that was known for big name attendees, celebrity appearances, and being an incredibly fun night. A friend's company had an extra ticket and I was excited to be on the receiving end of it.
During the live auction of some amazing items, the auctioneer kicked off the opening bid at $1,000. In famous, rapid fire auction-style the room grew electric as the bid went to $10,000 in seconds. When it hit $20,000 many became mesmerized, wondering which of the final hands going up would be the winner... and the one to write a check that big.
Finally there was a winner and as the applause died down I found myself staring at her wondering how it was that easy to spend so much money in 1 minute. What was she doing in life that I was not? How come she has it so good, money is just falling off trees? Must be nice. I bet she doesn't have any of the problems I do.
Jealousy simmered inside me. A flame of frustration at the utter unfairness in life flashed in my mind for a moment.
I caught myself making major assumptions about things I don't know. The reality was I had no idea what really goes on in her life, behind the curtain, behind the raised hand bidding thousands of dollars seemingly on a whim.
I was reminded of what my aunt said to me when I was a kid and complaining about family problems no one else seemed to have. "I bet if you pick 10 people who you think have it 'so good' and got them to put all of their problems in the middle of a room... and you really got to see what each person is dealing with... you'd take your problems back in a heartbeat."
In yoga philosophy there are manas (the desiring part of the mind that is triggered through the senses) + the buddhi (the intellect or discriminative faculty of the mind). For me, the manas was triggered seeing people bidding huge sums of money and that sent me into a spiral of desire for their "easy" life. My surroundings were clouding my rational judgment. Luckily the buddhi was able to rationalize that I didn't know a stranger's full story; I should not assume their life is easier or harder than mine.
The auction went on and I enjoyed myself, glad the money was going to a good cause. I smiled thinking of an ode to Biggie -- "mo money, mo problems" -- and perhaps that is true. Or maybe not. Who am I to judge?
PRACTICE
Separate Fact from Fiction. It is tempting to make rash judgments and assumptions based on what first meets the eye. This is many times not the complete picture of what is true. Catch yourself from doing this.
NEW VOCAB
Manas [Sanskrit]: the desiring part of the mind that is triggered through the senses.
Buddhi [Sanskrit]: the intellect or discriminative faculty of the mind.
Clear eyes, full heart --
Chiyoko
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