#25 | How are you wired?
Hello friend -
Early last week, I was listening to a podcast, where Dan Harris was interviewing George Mumford. George has been a mindfulness coach for a number of legendary athletes like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Halfway through the podcast, George made one statement. He said that we could either see the world around us as a friendly or unfriendly one.
Three days ago, I landed in Moscow. After some hustle of going through the border control, I finally got into the taxi. Exhausted at 3 am, I could not wait to get to my apartment. As I settled in the back seat, the driver commented that he 'hated all the foreigners'. Surprised by such a negative opening line, I asked what the reason was? Eager to talk, he shared that passengers had been trafficking drugs in his car. As I sympathized with him for such an unfortunate episode, he continued telling me how many times he fell victim to scams from passengers and even friends.
Interestingly enough, he was not complaining. The tone of his voice was angry and even intimidating. After ranting for about 30 min, he concluded that in Moscow, everyone wants to scam you. Everything about this ride was hostile.
On the next day, I had to take another taxi ride. As I got into the car, the driver lightheartedly shared that he had just had a strange order, where the rider never showed up, so he wasted some of his time waiting. In the end, he smiled and said: 'well, maybe something had happened, and they just could not make it'. We ended up talking more. The driver was sharing various stories – good, bad, sad, and funny – but it became apparent that he sees the world as, by default, a friendly place full of opportunities.
About eight years ago, I did a training program called 'The Context.' The central theme of the program was that each of us was born in an initial context. It is impossible to choose the family, neighborhood, town, or country where we are born. Some of us were born in loving and supportive families, in safe neighborhoods, and developed countries. Some – were born in poorer countries or families with violent, destructive behavior. The combinations are endless. As we move through childhood and adolescence – our context shapes who we become and how we view the world. We download software that will define the way we will operate in life.
Is the world a safe place? Is it friendly? Is it fair? Is it cruel? They way you answer these questions will define your behavior and even words used to justify it. We then adopt strategies to navigate the world we inhabit.
To me – realizing that perhaps the way you see the world is due to a list of beyond your control circumstances like income, family values, neighborhood, or even political situation in the country that year.
The next step is to be willing to change. Make the first step. For example, see if you like these books: Eastern Body. Western Mind, or Games People Play.
It has been proven that our minds can change. Scientists call it "neuroplasticity".
Neuroplasticity will be the topic next Sunday.
Is the world friendly or unfriendly to you?
Enjoy your day. Enjoy being.