The Ruler

There is a special person in my life . . . one who, I fully believe, was SENT to me, to be a teacher . . . a ‘guide’, if you will, someone who – when called to - walks in unfathomable wisdom. Many of my recent ‘truths’ were unearthed because of my journey with this personal guide. Much of what I will eventually share here will most likely contain lessons that were shared through this ‘guide’. Such is the case with “The Ruler”.

One day, not so long ago, my three children sat with us in the family room of my old house. My eldest – my son was sharing a story about how his friend was able to do something that he was not BECAUSE this friend’s parent said it was OK to do so.” We shared that this particular thing might be ok on that end – but not in this home. Like all kids, my son’s age, he asked, “Who’s Right?” The answer he got: “BOTH are . . . based on the RULER.” I was then asked to get 3 pieces of paper, making 3 different rulers – unbeknownst to the kids the ‘INCH’ was different on all 3 rulers. The kids were then asked to go measure a couple of household items. When they were done (I had to assist my youngest) they were asked to tell us what the measurement of each item was. To their surprise – because of the different INCH ruler, each of their answers were different. When we told them WHY this was, they said, “But WHO’s is RIGHT?” Their answer was again, “All of you are right – BASED on YOUR RULER”. Then they were asked to find our STANDARD RULER and compare. They were then asked what the majority of the people would recognize as CORRECT. They all pointed to the standard ruler. We shared that an example of a standard rule was like those which police have to uphold – something that ALL have to live under. We pointed out those rules are not so standard, but rather HOUSE RULES – rules that are based on individual house morals and faith – much like my son’s friend’s rules. We then pointed to the BIBLE, and said, “THAT, is OUR STANDARD RULER and that is what we BASE our rules on. We shared with the kids that because people have different beliefs and standards, we cannot JUDGE their choices. Our kids were told that what we wanted them to understand is that their job is always to follow OUR RULES in THIS house and OUT OF this house for they had to WALK UNDER our house rules until they were old enough to walk under their own rules. They were told that there will always be times when rules will appear different from house to house and they needed to understand what THEY were to follow. – that they were to use our rules as a SOUNDING BOARD to finding understanding in another’s.

This little activity later got me thinking about perspective again – let’s face it – it truly is about perspective – how one’s perception of something becomes his reality. I thought about how I had spent a good portion of my younger days thinking I was ‘all that’ and how – based on MY rulings, I often voiced how people should and shouldn’t live their life. It’s amazing what we waste our time on and then again to try and find justification for it. I didn’t have a clue back then . . . only just now beginning to get one.

The true reality is that everyone of us has a perception, based on how we have lived, based on the experiences we have gone through. In recognizing this, one must also see that there is ‘perception limitation’ based on a LACK of experience – if one has not had to go through something, one cannot gather even the slimmest perception of that reality. I have been accused many times recently for appearing to be ‘changing’ the way I live my life . . . damn straight, I am, and I’m looking forward to continuing to change in the years to come.

While this has left me with a far greater understanding of how I need to live my personal life, it has also made me realize areas that I still need to look into for greater understanding for I wonder, is there ever really a Standard Rule? We believe what we perceive and, if we are true seekers, our beliefs will continue to change as our perceptions of the world changes. But as I continue to measure my material items by the traditional measurement – a choice made out of sheer laziness to learn the new system, the rest of the world is converting to metric and I am left wondering, “WHO will eventually be “wrong”?

Just some things to ponder . . . make good choices today.