Daily Inspirational Quote October 8 2014
“Our culture wants to turn mysteries into problems to be solved or breakdowns to be fixed, because maintaining the illusion that we can ‘straighten things out’ makes us feel powerful. Yet mysteries never yield to solutions or fixes – and when we pretend that they do, life not only becomes more banal but more hopeless, because the fixes never work.” – Parker J. Palmer
I have always been a fixer. Perhaps it’s because I’m a middle child. While I was growing up, I couldn’t stand it when my parents fought with each other or with one of my siblings, and I have often played the role of mediator throughout my life. I have learned, however, that while I can fix things up in my own world to suit me, I have very little power when it comes to the vast realm of others’ free will and emotions. When everyone is on a different page or reading entirely different books, we’ll drive ourselves crazy if we hinge our peace and happiness on getting everyone reading out loud together in perfect synchronicity. There are just some things we can’t orchestrate, and for good reason: they involve other people’s lessons and desires.
I have always been a fixer. Perhaps it’s because I’m a middle child. While I was growing up, I couldn’t stand it when my parents fought with each other or with one of my siblings, and I have often played the role of mediator throughout my life. I have learned, however, that while I can fix things up in my own world to suit me, I have very little power when it comes to the vast realm of others’ free will and emotions. When everyone is on a different page or reading entirely different books, we’ll drive ourselves crazy if we hinge our peace and happiness on getting everyone reading out loud together in perfect synchronicity. There are just some things we can’t orchestrate, and for good reason: they involve other people’s lessons and desires.