As we know, life can be looked at from many different angles, yet oftentimes as if we get trapped in a monotonous ‘mindset’, we often speak of life offering many lenses, yet we so frequently find ourselves peering through only one, its frame so familiar we forget it is even there. As for the sake of “illustrating” our example, imagine having all of your life the mindset of “trumpism”… sure why not we would say, but what a pity : )
To imagine a life viewed solely through the single, rigid lens of any singular ideology – be it “trumpism” or any other worldview (in our mindset perhaps even ‘uncompromising’ worldview) – is to imagine a symphony heard only as a single, repeating note. One could march to that beat, sure, but what a profound pity to miss the strings, the woodwinds, the quiet spaces between the sounds, the entire, heartbreakingly beautiful composition of human experience.
So, the gentle, revolutionary act of calming the heart, of mindful breath, and of seeking inner peace become so much more than personal relaxation. They are acts of cognitive and spiritual liberation. Meditation, at its core, is not about emptying the mind, but about creating space within it.
It is the practice of watching our own thoughts – those ingrained narratives, those reactive judgments – pass by like clouds, without having to chase after every one and declare it the absolute truth. In that spacious silence, the grip of a monotonous mindset loosens. We are no longer the thought itself, we become the aware sky that holds it.
And from this place of inner quiet, a beautiful possibility emerges – the ability to truly see from another cultural perspective. This is not merely an intellectual exercise in tolerance. It is an enrichment of the soul. It is to discover that there are ways to grieve, to celebrate, to love, and to find meaning that are profoundly different from our own, yet equally valid and deeply poetic.
To sit with the Japanese concept of ‘wabi-sabi’ – finding beauty in imperfection and transience – can soften a heart hardened by a culture of relentless perfectionism. To contemplate the Southern African philosophy of ‘Ubuntu’ – “I am because we are” – can gently dismantle the walls of a hyper-individualistic mindset.
So by calming our heart, by meditating, by breathing, by finding peace we enrich ourselves, oftentimes maybe we can find value and peace in seeing things from another cultural perspective.
By finding peace within, we build a welcoming harbor within ourselves. From this secure anchorage, we can safely venture out to explore the vast oceans of human perspective, not as ‘invaders’ (in any sense), but as humble visitors. We return not with less of ourselves, but with our inner world immeasurably enriched, our single note having learned its place within a glorious, universal harmony.
The pity is not in holding a perspective, but in being imprisoned by it. The freedom – and the profound peace – lies in remembering we hold the key.
(S. Guraziu – Sky Division, J 2026)