By Cleofe Uy Catuday
In a society where everything is searchable within a few clicks of our fingers, how hard is it to pause and breathe? Just in our very own lifetime, we have seen how innovations have rolled before us, giving the never-before convenience of communication, transportation, and recently, the extremely fast access to information and data through generative artificial intelligence. With all these at hand and with our minds and bodies set to go with the expectations to deliver and to make things happen just as fast, how do we strike the balance to make things work sustainably?
With the pace of the world comes the expectation for us to keep up. The drive not to miss a goal and, at the same time, the pressure to make people see things and situations exactly the same way as we do. But despite all these, how much better our lives would be if we take time to look beyond the obvious.
Looking beyond the obvious for me is taking time to see over and above the tangible realities laid in front of us. We have to be deliberate in being able to do so. We have to be sensitive enough to empathize and, at the same time, have compassion for certain situations and for people.
In the hospitality industry where I revolve, the moment our associates drop their uniforms to the laundry, the real stories begin. The real lives unfold. Behind the well-combed hair, neat uniform, and friendly smiles are stories of survival, struggles, and life challenges. Life stories that sometimes are not so obvious and not easily felt. Because beyond the uniform of a wait staff, housekeeper, a front desk officer, a department head, or even an executive or leader is a daughter, a wife, a mother, a homemaker, a breadwinner whose work inspiration are the loved ones whose lives depend on her. How much better can we share our own ecosystems if we take time to look beyond the obvious and hear the unique stories of the lives of the people around us?
It is also obvious that it is easier said than done, but it is a great survival tool in this game called life. By doing so, we will listen more intently, we will be more present in what we are doing, and we will become intentional in creating a deeper relationship with the people around us. Then we are able to strike the balance on how we can adjust to others and embrace individual differences.
From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. Delving deeper into how the mindset of others are wired through verbal communications and what is frequently expressed, makes us have a better grasp of each other’s plight. We obviously speak more often about the things or people that either make us happy or, on the other hand, those that concern us. So, it is critical as a tool to looking beyond the obvious, to listen intently. There is no such thing as small talk, each encounter is important. Even the simplest and shortest of a catch-up at the hallways can open gates of empathy and understanding. How much better would our individual spaces be if we genuinely look beyond the obvious?
We may have various jargons of how we show concern, responding to cues, looking beyond the obvious, but the core of this value is taking to heart the situations of others and making sure we provide space in our hearts to understand them. For some of these, they have control over and some they do not. Whether situations are there by chance or by intention, let us look beyond the obvious to make things more harmonious. Today is just a reminder of how our navigation is beyond us, a recognition that someone greater than us allows things to happen and occur in his own divine appointed time. Our creator’s reasons may not be as obvious, but all we need is to surrender and trust in him and his plans.
