Eventually we’ll see it (or maybe not)

How many times have you witnessed (either as an observer or employee) organizations embark on a path that almost certainly will end in disaster, yet they forge ahead anyway? How can they be so wrong-headed we wonder?

How often have you watched as a friend or loved one engaged in seemingly destructive behavior, but the one involved in the situation seems blissfully unaware? Why is it that they can’t see it as clearly as we do?

Undoubtedly, there are situations where the bullet’s already been fired, it’s simply that the full impact is yet to be felt.

Other times, when we feel certain we know the inevitable outcome, the truth is we have no idea what’s going to happen but we manage our fear by gripping ever more firmly to the steering wheel.

Frequently, at least in my own personal experience, we’re more worried about what’s going on externally that we avoid focusing on what is ours to own.

It turns out, over time, the truth is undefeated. And as Pema Chodron reminds us, “fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.”

We can hope that the groups or individuals we care about will come to see it our way. And it’s simple: they will or they won’t. Or maybe we will come to see things differently. And there too, either we will or we won’t.

The only thing we can do to improve the odds of getting to the right actions is to become aware of our truth and the work that is ours to do–and then go do it.

Let go of everything else.

Originally published at stevenpdennis.com on September 23, 2017.