A Way of Living That Doesn't Think of Rain as 'Unpleasant'
──Even if reality doesn't change, the experience can be changed
When it rains,
we say, "The weather is bad."
It's hard to go out.
You get wet.
Your mood drops.
Somewhere,
there is a premise that rain is a bad thing.
But is that really the case?
Today, through the event of "rain",
I would like to think about how we perceive things.
⚫︎Why do we feel rain is "bad"?
We,
unconsciously,
assign meaning to events.
・Sunny = Good
・Rain = Bad
This is not a fact,
but an interpretation.
For example,
for farmers,
rain is a blessing.
It grows crops,
and waters the fields.
Even with the same rain,
the meaning changes depending on your perspective.
In other words,
there is no inherent good or evil in rain itself.
⚫︎"Perception" from a psychological perspective
In psychology,
it is believed that
how you interpret an event determines your emotions more than the event itself.
For the same event,
・Some people think it's unpleasant
・Some people feel it's calming
This is
a difference in cognition (how you perceive things),
not in the event.
⚫︎The perspective of neuroscience
The brain
repeats interpretations once they are formed.
If you recognize "rain = something unpleasant",
every time it rains,
a negative reaction occurs automatically.
This is
the brain's energy-saving function.
Conversely,
if you change your interpretation,
your reaction will also change.
⚫︎Mental strength is about how you interpret things
Former soccer player
Keisuke Honda
has consistently shown in various statements that
mental state is not determined by being "strong or weak," but is something that changes significantly depending on how you receive things.
For the same event,
・Do you perceive it as pressure?
・Do you perceive it as an opportunity?
That difference
changes your subsequent actions and results.
In other words,
a person's emotions are not determined by events, but by how they interpret those events.
People with strong mentalities
might not be special people,
but people who can choose their interpretations.
⚫︎A spiritual perspective
From an invisible perspective,
events are neutral,
and it is your own consciousness
that gives them meaning.
And,
depending on the consciousness with which you receive things,
the quality of your experience changes.
・Receiving with dissatisfaction
・Receiving with gratitude
Even in the same reality,
it becomes something completely different.
⚫︎The true role of rain
Rain is
not just weather.
・Circulating water
・Sustaining life
・Maintaining the environment
In nature,
it has a very important role.
In other words, rain is
an essential existence.
⚫︎Reducing negativity
What is important here
is not to force yourself to be positive.
There is no need to think "Rain is the best!"
Just,
don't dislike it more than necessary.
・It's unpleasant → It can't be helped
・It's uncomfortable → There are days like that
Even to this extent,
the burden on your heart will change significantly.
⚫︎The quality of emotions becomes the quality of life
People
are not accumulating the daily events themselves,
but the emotions they felt at that time.
In other words,
・Not what happened
・But how you felt
This
creates the quality of your life.
⚫︎Conclusion
You cannot change the rain.
But,
you can change how you feel about the rain.
And that is
not something special,
but just a slight difference in perspective.
・Don't decide it's a bad thing
・Don't fix the meaning to just one thing
Just by doing that,
the way you see the world will change little by little.
Even if reality is the same,
the experience can be changed.
The accumulation of that
might lead to the richness of the heart.