At the center of a hurricane is the eye, and although everything around it is in chaos, flailing and helpless, the eye is almost windless.
We can't help it; the mere thought of it makes us tingle, and so we set off. Bow in hand, full of anticipation and enthusiasm. But once we're on the course and firing our first shots, the cycle starts all over again. We can't really focus, but someone keeps chatting while we're anchoring. Or we're constantly under pressure to perform, and someone tells us the score without being asked, even before we've taken the last shot. And yet we were so looking forward to a nice round in the woods. In moments like these, it often seems as if life is against us. How easy it would be if everything in life were portioned equally for everyone, but it always seems to happen to the same people. So many of us have thoughts like these repeatedly popping into our heads, going around in circles. But even when a situation seems unavoidable, it is always our point of view that ultimately determines joy or pain. And so I would like to take this opportunity to offer a new perspective.
It's true, suffering benefits no one. But aren't we life itself? Because if we are life, how can it be against us? What if we are much greater than we can currently imagine? Life is pure potential, and we are a part of it. True greatness begins with an idea and ends with a decision. And so we can choose. Do we put our energy into our anger because the same thing keeps happening to us, or do we recognize it as our very own gift of growth? Because then it might suddenly make sense.
Because if it were up to us, whom would we rather spare suffering? The sufferer or those who brave the hurricane. Facing fear and defying all adversities, they find their greatness in the windless eye.
Bettina Platzer is a great nature lover. She is also very interested in the connections in life. She loves being able to see things from new perspectives in order to make sense of them.
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