March 22, 2014: Negativity: The Grass Is Always Greener...

So, surprisingly, it is more difficult to be positive when you are surrounded by expats. Always complaining about life here and people etc. Somehow, being away from the US expunged their memories of annoyances that allowed them to leave in the first place.
I am trying to be thankful. It is a country that is full of annoyances, but really, the US is too. I think one of the biggest differences is, in the US, one can remove or distance themselves from the annoyances more easily. That is in part simply due to the physical and geographical features which are not here.

So, it's all more in your face. Deal with it.

Islamically speaking, scholars have mused that one of the reasons that the last prophet came to the Arabs/Bedouins was because they were a people with little distraction to take them away from the contemplation of the skies, stars, and nature- the real.

There is a Chinese curse that says "May you live in interesting times."

So, perhaps there is an awakening attainable to those who are able, under some stress and/or duress to contemplate human behavior at an arm's length.

I know for me, it has given me the chance to see that while there are a great many differences related to culture, people are still basically the same-good, bad, and ugly.

At first you are shocked, then annoyed, then frustrated, then resigned, then accepting of the fact that your interpretation and way of being in the world is simply your own-not necessarily correct or the best, and you find a way to deal and flourish.

You have to be that flower or weed, growing from the crack in the city sidewalk.

Face the dark, and you will wither.
Seek the sun, and you will be nourished.