“The mind is like a bowl of water, and our impressions are like rays of light falling upon the water. When the water is troubled, it appears that the light itself is moved too . . . but it isn’t.” — Epictetus
Saying that someone looks at things “through rose-colored glasses” usually implies that they’re naive about the world. But the concept that we can choose to view external circumstances through different “lenses” or “frames” is one of the most profound ideas that the human mind ever devised.
There are idioms in every language that describe this unique human superpower; though we don’t have the capacity to change reality, we do possess an ability to define the world in whatever terms we choose. As Shakespeare wrote, “there’s no such thing as good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
This superpower of reason is usually depicted as a way of “seeing” the world, but we can also illustrate it with other human senses.
Think about the scariest movies; what actually makes them so terrifying? In most cases, what we’re hearing on the soundtrack scares us far more than what we’re seeing on the screen.
When we replace a horror movie’s soundtrack with funny, ridiculous music, it no longer seems as scary. The reality of events hasn’t changed, but our judgment of them has. (The same thing can happen, in reverse, if you add a frightening soundtrack to a comedy.)
What “soundtrack” will you choose to hear when you face life’s next dilemma? Will your background music be frightening, or light-hearted, or heroic? Will it make you want to hide under the blankets, or jump up to face the challenge?
Your life’s soundtrack won’t change the script . . . but it might just change how you view this grand movie you’ve been cast in.