SAND WARFARE
Man against man. I stood in the center of a sand pit. Unable to move quickly. My footing unstable. My charge was to fight another man at my weight, strength and size. Most men do not possess the physical strength I have. It is easy to forget what fighting someone like me feels like. Not in this case. Striking him with all my strength he absorbed what I dealt. Fatigue relaxed my guard. My stomach absorbed more strikes than I cared for. This duel came after knife training, hand to hand take downs and relentless conditioning. Fighting only means something when you’re tired. Everyone is confident before their breath labors. For five minutes we fought. At the end he stood resilient. Apparently unphased. I concluded an opinion I was not as strong as I thought. In all honesty, he was probably the better fighter that fight. Than he came over. His words blew not hot air but cool tempest. ‘You hit hard as hell. I didn’t know if I could have taken too much more.”
OPINIONS OF APPERARANCE
We deceive ourselves. Though the appearance of things, events and emotions many base their opinions. Many allow opinions to be based on sight rather than observation. According to my sight my previous opponent appeared unstoppable. He was strong. He was resolute. He was unchanged in his posture.
Despite these appearances his confidence was diminished.
My absorption of his assault and vision of his disposition misled me to believe an untruth.
How many of us falsely believe what we see because of how we feel after what we see?
SIGHT OVER OBSERVATION
Sight and observation are very different things. It is possible to watch two people seemingly enjoying lunch, hand touching and staring into each other’s eyes only to realize upon inquiry they are siblings — not lovers.
Affection in itself does not mean romanticism. Despite this truth, if we are honest nearly every reader can recall a time when false assumptions required truthful apologies.
Within the context of eye witnessing a crime, confident but incorrect eyewitnesses have contributed to many innocent convictions. (2)
Everyone is guilty of jumping the gun. I am no exception. It is in these moments we should learn the important lesson to rely on observation over sight. Our eyes deceive us. Our visions are formed quite literally in the brain (i.e. the mind). It is the soul (which is our consciousness) which should sort the opinion not the mind. The mind is aptly ready to believe the eyes’ vision without consideration to what our consciousness knows.
OBSERVATION OVER SIGHT
Observations are perceptions which seek out what we know to be true over what we assume is true. In a previous article I discussed at length how speculation can mislead people. Assumption is synonymous with speculation.
For instance, in the previous example let’s create the condition I didn’t know they were siblings. I can state the facts as I know.
I know they are friendly. I know they are amicable. I know they are together. I know they are eating lunch. I know they have not kissed romantically. I know they are affectionate. Let’s proceed to what I do not know.
I do not know who they are to each other, I do not know the contents of the conversation, nor do I know what was said which resulted in touching.
Observation is based on knowledge whereas sight is based on assumption. If I were to speculate they are lovers, I would be wrong. I have an entire article dedicated to observation in the context of relationships entitled, “Feelings Are Real But They Might Not Be Right” if you are interested in delving into it more.
What Utilizing Observation Does:
· It spares you unnecessary suffering. The only thing worse than suffering is suffering for no reason. Wait to know what something is before you say what it is regardless of what it looks like.
· It will result in zero regret. I cannot promise you will avoid hurt by waiting to know. Of course, you will be hurt. In some instances, your suspicion could be right, but I guarantee your suspicion will make you wrong at some point. Punishing someone for something they did not do will inflict regret. Avoid this self-inflicted punishment.
· It will increase your resiliency. You will endure more. As a result, prove you are resilient. When your patience gives a little more rope for someone to hang themselves do not fret that your suspicion could have spared you a month of turmoil. Celebrate the fact you have the virtues of temperance, self-control, patience, and maturity. Do not allow a wrong doer to rob you of virtue which will be celebrated by many — including the right person.
Three Ways To Use Observation (Use Them)
1. Ask Yourself What Can You Prove. Most of the time we will come up with no proof when we ask what ourselves what we can prove. This is a sobering dose of reality. Your initial impulses are often rooted in nothing. Only fools make permeant decisions based on nothing. Don’t be a fool.
2. Remind Yourself Who Owns Your Feelings. Last time I checked your feelings are inside you. They come from inside your body. That means you get to choose what feelings you feel. Not others.
3. Become Curious Not Angry. Choose a desire to know the truth. Avoid the choice of becoming angry when you don’t know the truth. Anger is a sign of losing control. Curiosity is a sign of determination. Become determined, do not become out of control. Seek to know the truth not assume what you want to justify your impulsive feelings.
The Value of This Philosophy
· This allows you to challenge possible misconception and reinforces positive assumptions over negative assumptions. (3)
· You can always choose your feelings. Do not release ownership of your feelings to others. It is unhealthy and makes you unstable.
· Learning the truth before acting makes you pause before reacting which reduces stress and makes you feel more relaxed. (4)
IN CLOSING
I do not wish my personal circumstances on anyone. It is for this reason that now I am the ultimate authority on what not to do. My much-anticipated new book “Turning Indictments To Dollars” talks about how to avoid the pitfalls I suffered. If you are accused of something you know you didn’t do — this book will offer you the path which grants you success. Trust me you will want to Sign up for free during the pre-release period to take advantage of unique $0.99 pricing on launch.
Sign up for free to listen free of charge to my chapter in “Many Paths To Profit”. You can pick up a copy of my international best-selling and award winning book, “I Made It Then I Didn’t” as well for a deeper insight.
The concept I teach in this article is free. Some of my personal stories are not free of charge as everything costs something. The techniques I discuss in this article I use. The purpose of reading this is to avoid regret by not jumping to false conclusions.
If you are experiencing the thought of possible betrayal or perception of indifference from another, it’s critical you read this. We often judge a book by its cover and say, “If it talks like a duck & walks like a duck, it must be a duck”. No, it might be a duck hunter trying to lure a duck. Just ask the duck who got shot earlier. Oh wait. You can’t. Its assumption killed it. Let me know your thoughts on observation in the comments.
To Your Knowledge Success!
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Sources
1) The life of Christopher Knight Lopez a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”.
2) Garrett B. Convicting the innocent. London: Harvard University Press; 2011. doi: 10.4159/harvard.9780674060982
3) Work Learning Research. “The Learning Benefits of Questions”. Will Thalheimer PhD. 2003–2014. Somerville, MA USA.
4) Rosenfeld RS, Hellman L, Roffwarg H, Weitzman ED, Fukushima DK, Gallagher TF: Dehydroisoandrosterone is secreted episodically and synchronously with cortisol by normal man. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1971; 33:87–92
5) Marcus Aurelius. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. The New Translation By Del Ray Kochon. Decameron Books. ISBN 978–1–936767–79–3
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Not a form of investment advice. Please consult a professional registered to give you advice about your individual circumstance. This article is for educational purposes and entertainment purposes only. Please do not email the author about advice on investing or strategies on making investments. Certain elements of this narrative may have been fictionalized to convey message points. This is a work of artistic expression not a narrative of fact. Strictly for entertainment and informational purposes only.
About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller, Award Winner of the December 2024 prestigious International Impact Book Awards — a premier award program dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the exceptional work of authors around the globe and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”. He is also a Co-Author with Kevin “The Shark” Harrington “Many Paths To Profit”. See more at www.christopherklopez.com.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
Photo credit: Jabari Timothy On Unsplash
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