expect nothing
I’ve stopped getting angry at people. Whether it’s for what they do or what they fail to do, I’ve come to realize that many people are simply not capable of perceiving, understanding, or processing reality in the way we might hope or expect. We are all learning, but we do so differently. Even when life presents us with the same lessons, each of us will interpret and internalize them in our own way.
Because of this, I no longer hold expectations of others. When reality doesn’t align with what I might have hoped for, I no longer feel disappointment or frustration. Expectations are often projections of our own vision (our own awareness) onto someone else. When we say someone is “capable of more,” what we really mean is that we can see potential in them that they themselves may not yet recognize. But if they lack the vision to perceive that potential, how can we expect them to act on it?
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It’s like trying to explain three-dimensional space to a two-dimensional being. As Carl Sagan once illustrated: if you place a 3D object in a 2D world, those within the 2D plane can only perceive a single cross-section of it. They will never fully grasp its depth or structure. In the same way, how can we expect someone to embody the full scope of insight, growth, or understanding when they simply don’t have access to the same dimensional perspective?
So I’ve let go of expecting a 3D experience from a 2D awareness. I find peace in that.
