It’s a weird feeling when you feel like the mouse in a big cats’ game. Some time ago, I closed the door to an opportunity and another one opened. And now it’s the exact opposite. Doors close, doors open. It feels like eternal revolving doors but only when we act quick enough. Even revolving doors have a limited time window.
The following quotes are particularly interesting:
“When one door closes, another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” Quote by Alexander Graham Bell
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one, which has been opened for us.” Quote by Helen Keller
The revolving door picture is from Wikipedia.
One peculiar phenomenon in the above picture is that these revolving doors may look either closed or open. On a first, superficial and/or negative view, these doors look closed. A positive person would soon realise that these doors are actually open. I suppose our ‘perception’ indeed creates our ‘reality’.
I am curious why human nature usually first looks at the downside risks of opportunities and only afterwards considers its upside potential or gains. I am inclined to believe that this is a leftover of evolutionary psychology in which dangers (risks) were omnipresent. Safeguarding human life came first and foremost.
In my view, evolutionary psychology is stored in the human firmware of our brain. I suppose that is also the place were human intuition may be found – an unknown known. Similar to electronic devices, human firmware is seldom updated – if at all. Essentially, the current human fears are still based on the accumulation of human fears since the start of mankind, some 3 million years ago.
The rational and irrational fears stored in the firmware of our brain are usually witholding us from trying new opportunities. Sometimes our intuition overrules our fears. In that case, we just “feel that we know” that a decision is right. Sometimes our intuition even reinforces our fears. In that case, we just “feel that we know” that we should not go for that opportunity.
Most of the times, we have a hard time recognising an opportunity at all. Sometimes even when it’s handed on a silver platter. Not recognising an opportunity may cause some doors to be not just closed but slammed in a face. Opportunities are not only received but also granted by others.
Missed Opportunity (1988) by Hall & Oates
artist, lyrics, video, Wiki, Wiki-2
Keep on missing each other
Our world’s out of order
All I see is Missed Opportunity
Will we ever learn
In trouble where will we turn
And when you’re losing the fight
Who’s your white knight gonna be
Feel you drift away
(oh baby) You don’t hear what I’m sayin’
We had a chance to stay together
Ooh forever
But we got lost in the dream
Keep on missing each other
Our world’s out of order
All I see is Missed Opportunity
Talk but never show
You’re holding back
Words lack meaning that’s all
Things you say ricochet
Miss by a mile
The words don’t work for me
Ooh who understands
Why the world’s nasty girl
When we re doin’ the best we can
Even tho we’re walking a wire
Where there’s hope there’s desire
Calling you back to your white knight
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise.
0 Comments