Oblivious and Beyond: Am I Seen or Understood? Do I Seek to See and Understand?

Have you ever felt out of step with the world?  Forgotten?  Invisible?  Not valued?  I am sure many of us can relate to these feelings at some time in our lives!

Take for instance my invisible car.  There must be some reason why other drivers constantly pull out in front of my car or cut me off on the freeway:  the car must be invisible!

Or, maybe it is not the car... could it just be me?  That would explain why people bump into me without acknowledging that I was there or that we even had a mishap.  I am not seen or acknowledged!

Have you felt like you live on a different planet?

I experienced these moments recently on a trip.  Moments I now call Oblivious Moments:  times when one or more people live in Oblivion. 

Definition of Oblivion:

• The state of being completely forgotten or unknown;
• The state of forgetting or being oblivious.

Does the motion to get us through this frenetic and complex world require that we ignore or invalidate others?  Do we become oblivious to our surroundings so we can focus only on our goals and tasks?  Is it our way of surviving each day?
 

Have you felt ignored?

I am concerned at two levels:  it doesn't feel good to be invisible or forgotten, but I worry at how oblivious I might be to others!   Questions that I have been pondering this past week:

• How do I contribute to Oblivious Moments?
• Am I forgetting the sacredness that we each bring to our world?
• How might I remember your value?

Paradise: finding someone to share and value

As I have felt invisible and forgotten this week, I recall that Dialogue is an Invitation to become Invaluable.  Through:

• Awareness:  I notice my thoughts and feelings, and I seek to understand yours.
• Compassion:  I carry lightly those times we have forgotten our value.
• Interdependence:  I realize I need you... and I hope you need me as well.
• Creative Freedom:  we seek ways to survive and thrive together.

This week, may we seek to see and to understand.  May we not forget the Invaluableness of who we are!


 

Larry Gardepie
 Dialogue San Diego Consulting