Projection

While settling into my seat and fastening the belt, I hear the familiar instructions spoken by the flight attendant. In case of emergency, an oxygen mask will drop from the ceiling. Place your mask over your mouth first, before helping anyone else with theirs. The message is clear. I can't help another person if I am sucking wind and about to die. I can not help you if I am flopping about on the airplane floor like a soon to be dead fish out of water, or oxygen in this case. 

Flipping this around, you cannot help me either, if you don't take care of your immediate needs first:

Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholds not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye (Luke 6:42)

Projection

I am laughing a little sarcastically at the thought of what you see is what you got: those humbling moments that come, when criticism exposes the character flaws in the speaker. 

Projection: is defined as, the presentation of an image on a surface, especially a cinema screen; a mental image viewed a certain way. 

Dear reader, emotion and sentiments unexpressed will not only surface, they will search and find similarities, ways for outlet. When I don't allow my feelings, they have no other choice than to find a host, somewhere outside of myself to point and say, there, over yonder, that  is what I am not talking about. 

1. Ok, you want a for instance? Here is a physical for instance. An overweight person watches what others put on their plates at a party, and whispers to the person next to them, No wonder Sally struggles with her weight, look at the size of that piece of cake. I'm pretty sure I saw her eat a brownie too! 

Want another? Oh my, must I go there? To the deep dark spaces that we all travel when you, when I, would rather look outside of ourselves for flaws, than work on what is ever present in ourselves?

2. Ok, here we go with an emotional for instance. A friend tells you something in confidence, and you promise not to share the information with anyone. You tell your best friend... when you find out that they have shared the information, and it gets back to you, you are hopping mad at your bestie for betraying your trust. Can you see how hypocritical this is dear one? Integrity breaches ought to make the guilty party want to rectify this character flaw, not cover it up with misdirected anger. 

Soulful swimming

• If projection is your operating system, your safety first defence mechanism, how is this working for you? 
• Do you feel better after the finger pointing, accusations, and blame distribution? 

You, dear reader, must come first. You must do the work of deep dark soulful swimming. The allowing of all the emotions that bubble and surge beneath. It is in this self-discovery and permission to feel, even if it gets ugly and messy, that you can be free to breath clean untainted oxygen. 

Fix your eyes on you. Fix you first. Love you to the point of being so wholesome and free, that when you look at others, you want this for them too. 

Remove the mote from your own eye, and allow others to remove the beam from theirs

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confessed and forsaketh them shall have mercy (Proverbs 28:13)