HiveComb

The other day I heard this phrase in one of the pocasts I usually follow. Our lives are spent assigning and creating meanings for the things we see and experience.

And that's exactly what it is. The same experience has different meanings for two individuals, even if they have the same basic idea.

This is because meanings are not just attributes that are given by each individual, but are always influenced by past experiences. And these experiences, together with our personality, mean that the meaning is different for each person.

If we're facing an electrical storm. Each one will have a different meaning. The meteorological phenomenon taking place before our eyes is the same, of course. But if we have previous experiences, where in one of those storms we experienced something that worried us, when we are faced with a similar phenomenon or episode, we will always be impelled to associate it with the other events.

And there is a way in which the meanings we attribute to things can be different. Not because of what we've already experienced, but by looking at our current experiences as something different, or through a new prism.

It's not easy to attribute a positive connotation to an event that is associated with something that has hurt us or caused us unexpected suffering. This is an evolutionary mechanism.

Our brains are good at predicting future events. That's why we use so many resources to try to predict what might happen in a given situation. When we're interacting with the environment, this is the feature that most guarantees that we'll make it to the end of the day safely. Sometimes there are situations that are not dangerous in themselves, but because they fall into the category of the unknown, we often avoid them. Not because we are sure that they will be harmful to us, but because of the high degree of uncertainty and our self-protective nature, we are led not to choose certain paths.

I hope you enjoyed this little daily reflection.

Cheers🍀

Free image from Pixabay.com