LET'S TALK ABOUT . . .





                                               "HIGH DEFINITION LIVING"





Have you ever been mesmerized by all the screens on the wall of the television department in your local electronics store?  I have.  At first I wondered if it was the sheer number of screens or the fact they were tuned to the same station.  Although that may have been true at first, I progressively found myself searching for the visually preferred screen.  As one would suspect, I was searching for the one with the greatest clarity.



High definition clarity draws us like a magnet.  In my last blog I expressed the growing longing in our society for that which is appropriately authentic, transparent and integral.  There is something incredibly appealing about a life of focus that comes from core beliefs and convictions being lived out with passion.  Some do this quite assertively and are zealous in their expression while others live out their core convictions with a kind of quiet resolve.



I have been somewhat taken back by all the heartfelt inquiries, "but Janice what would THAT look like?"  We long to have some kind of image of that to which we aspire.  The images we possess of various realities are integrally linked to our norms.  Most of the time we are not consciously aware of or thinking about these norms and images.  We are just living out our lives trying to do the best we can. It is often during some kind of learning curve, growth process or existential pursuit that we become aware of how the way we live out our lives is informed by and linked to these images.



Sometimes changes in our lives originate from external sources or circumstances.  At other times they are more driven by internal realities.  These are not simple linear, cause and effect dynamics.  If that were so there would not be so many different theories, therapies, approaches, etc.  We are very complex beings, "fearfully and wonderfully made."



There is much that is beyond or out of our control in this life.  We will never be able to even grasp all of those factors at any given moment, let alone in all situations and at all times.  In the final analysis we all consent to the big picture direction of our lives, whether subconsciously or unconsciously.  We choose by not choosing only to realize we have chosen because we have been influenced to do so.  These are deeply existential issues that for the most part we do not want to think about because we fear we will never figure it out anyway!  It confuses us even more and generates unwanted anxiety.



Walking in the tension alluded to in my last blog mandates focusing on the focus rather than the effects.  So often we miss the mark because we fail to understand this difference.  The reason we do not understand this kind of journey is because we are so caught up in focusing on the effects.  We often find ourselves adrift, lost, off track, derailed, etc.  Sometimes this happens quickly, at other times it can take years, even generations.  We often try to fix our derailments rather than refine our focus.  This happens individually and systemically.



I am humored, in my own life, at how often I want to believe I am focusing on the focus, only to realize I was really focusing on the effects.  That always indicates it is time for an adjustment, a refined clarity of my own personal focus.  I have learned to laugh at myself! 



Trajectory is another important dynamic.  Have you ever thought about the acceptable margin of error NASA allows in their trajectory if they are actually and eventually going to hit their target, be it another planet or the international space station? Trajectory and focus, conscious or unconscious, are integrally linked. This, too, deserves a more specified discussion.



Living a high definition life of focused trajectory, then, is the effect of living by faith in the tension described in my last blog.  It is good for us to think about these matters.  It is good for us to become comfortable with the need to refine our focus rather than cover or fix our deviations as we journey through life.  This can be the difference between pride and humility.  It mandates we deal with ourselves.



Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!