Article January 18, 2010 Issue

SEE YOURSELF IN 'HIGH DEFINITION'

BY EDWARD C. HOLMBERG

THOSE WHO REMEMBER the early days of television (circa late 1940s)—with its tiny black and white transmissions, often fuzzy and blurred—may be amazed at today's huge flat screens and digital images. The shift toward digital high-definition (HD) transmission marks a dramatic step forward in technology. Viewers now see much more accurately than was ever thought possible.

The term "HD" has actually been instructive to me lately as I think through spiritual concepts. Why not see myself "in HD"—with absolute spiritual precision, total accuracy, exact clarity? As a student of Christian Science, I've learned that this is actually the way that God sees me. The first chapter of Genesis in the Bible recounts that God made us wholly good, in His image and likeness.

So in light of this, how do you typically describe yourself or others? It can be tempting to get sidetracked by a flood of "un" words, such as unhealed, unneeded, unemployed, or even unloved. Or those "dis" words too, such as disconnected, discouraged, or disappointed. My struggles usually involve what I call the "terrible too's," when I'm labeling myself and others as too old (or too young), too rich (or too poor), or worst of all, too late, as in "it's too late to change my view."