Clean Your Glasses

"If you want to see evil, evil is all you will see."

Many years ago now, I was driving what was then a rural section between two cities in Colorado. The sun was just beginning to set and the colors that would be absolutely soothing in the backyard with a glass of iced tea caused a little doubt when driving and still comfortable with some light-colored sunglasses.

The wake-up call occurred when I realized the "yellow line" was actually white, discolored by the glasses I was wearing, and what might have happened had I not questioned what I was seeing.

In a way, I had similar experiences on my out-of-the-country adventures. Prior to my first trip, Nicaragua was a headline, a reference to a struggle between political factions with people decades later still able to tell the stories and show evidence of the fighting. Unless you do diligent research, it is implied the area is a Central American back yard, a place where for the region's stepchildren.

The reality is much different. There are people who start their work day before the sun and usually don't slow down until the sun is gone. Radio is popular because it reaches more people than print or in-person visits. What is not correct is the population is dependent on the drug trade, and trafficking of all sorts, that their work ethic is deplorable and that the country overall is dangerous. I learned a similar lesson going to Panama, contrary to the songs and television shows characterizing the country under one value.

In a way, it comes back to the lesson of the glasses. Always be aware of the filters you are viewing the worth with. I had a friend concerned about a tiny bug that kept dodging at him. It didn't matter what he did. Wherever he turned his head, there was this black dot of a bug. As it turns out, the bug was just a black dot... on his dirty reading glasses. If all you rely on is the cliches and one-liners, the world has few choices and no chance for understanding.

The first statement says it best in a few words. Paraphrased, what you want to see, is what you will see. I got to see speaker and author Tony Campolo during a speaker series in college. Tony Campolo is one of those guys who could read a clinical psychology chapter and retelling it sounds like stand-up combedy. One of his illustrations was extreme, but very telling. He told of a family who had a very positive daughter. Nothing could rock her ability to see the positive in a situation. They decided to bring her attitude down a little closer to everyone else. For Christmas, they gave her a well-wrapped box with the bow and colorful paper... with dried horse manure in it. That's right: trail fuel, prairie cookies, whatever you want to call it, the result is the same; kind of.

As the story goes, the youngster opened the box and suddenly burst out with the excitement of a teen getting his or her first car. For a moment, the parents couldn't stand it any longer and asked: "Why are you so excited about a box of manure?" "Well, if there's manure, there has to be a pony here somewhere!"

If the last few months have taught us anything, it is that people are quick to judge on little information. If you get up in the morning expecting to see sunshine, even the storm won't last long. Take the time to clean the spectacles, know what is filtering your vision of other people and the world. It will help your attitude.