Article May 26, 2014 Issue

Undistorted images

E. Garrett Stone

Recently I acquired a digital camera that has many advanced features. But the most useful feature is also one of the most basic: the ability to view each photographed image prior to having it processed for printing. Undesirable images such as out-of-focus shots, pictures in which the subject has closed eyes, or photos in which the background is distracting can immediately be deleted from the camera’s memory card and replaced with an improved image.

And isn’t this what we should be doing in our day-to-day activities and interactions with others—deleting false images? Often these images come in the form of suggestions of poor health, impatience, dishonesty, failure, or anger. Perhaps we or a family member, a close friend, or a business associate may appear to be struggling with one or more of these issues.

We always have the opportunity to select the “delete mode” in our thinking and reject any suggestions of imperfection. To change the metaphor slightly, we might compare these limiting suggestions to the mirrors in a carnival funhouse, which produce distorted images. We never accept these images as a true replica of ourselves. It’s the same with sickness and fear: In thought, we can totally reject any possibility of these distorted images’ reality.

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