Frame

BLOG - Grandmaster Gedo Chang

Here I show you a letter “13”, how do you read this letter? Of course, many people are confused about this letter. However, If I show this letter in order with the other numbers framed “12, 13, 14,” then you would definitely read it as the number “13”, but if I framed it with the alphabet “A,13, C,” like this, you would read it as the letter “B”.

The reason is because of the frames, because of what surrounds it! We know this letter has not changed its position or shape. This is called “Frame” in psychology . We can interpret this frame as prejudice or viewpoint. What I mean is, when we look at the reality outside, we tend to interpret it differently, depending on our prejudice or our point of view.

For example, suppose somebody is walking into your office to talk with you, someone you have never met before. He or she could be Korean, Black, White, or Mexican. Often, we judge others according to their race. And according to our viewpoint, we then tend to already judge whether that person is arrogant, or unreliable, or lazy. We already decide how to talk and how to answer. Sometimes we even already determine the result of our conversation. But if we behave like this, we cannot truly communicate.

It is the same between parents and children. Parents lead the conversation according to their view point, and they often already determine what to say and how to reprimand. Even between a husband and wife, it is pretty much the same!

But as we know, today, this type of problem is very serious between religious groups. A famous French philosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau, pointed out this problem. According to his suggestion, parents or leaders should not educate very young children about just one particular faith, in a “cramming” way! Because they might lose a good opportunity to learn new things, and they may refuse to accept other educational opportunities in the future.

The point that we should understand is, the more we grow physically and intellectually, the more we must abandon and destroy our prejudices and change our viewpoint. Generally speaking, a negative person will always blame others or the situation for their misfortune. So they believe the situation or the environment determines our fate. However, a positive person has a different viewpoint about the situation. In other words, the way we interpret the situation controls our fate, not the situation itself.

Former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, said: The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, but the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

I would like to show you one more picture!

Among these two, which center circle is bigger than the other? Many people say figure “B” is bigger, but actually, both circles are the same size. The only difference is the frames!

Some years ago, a 17-year-old high school student joined my Daybreak Ki Meditation class along with his mother. He had a unique hair style. Many of my students were concerned about him, thinking he was a troublemaker, because his hair style was a mohawk. But later we happened to find out that the young man was waiting to begin his college life at Yale University with a full scholarship!

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to question you! No matter what you do or what your job is, are you proud of your position? Do you take pride in feeling that you are doing your best and helping others?

A man was passing a place where three stone masons were working. He asked the the first mason what he was doing. The mason replied angrily: “Can’t you see what I'm doing?!” He was mean and unhappy.

Then he questioned the second mason, and the second mason replied sharply: “I need money to survive!”

So the man moved on to the third mason, who was happily humming a song. He asked him the same question. The third mason smiled, and with a happy and pleasant tone, he said, “I am cutting stones. These stones will be the cornerstone and walls of a new church. I imagine that lots of people will come and worship here after I build these walls. I am so happy and proud to imagine this!”

Ladies and gentlemen, the secret of happiness comes from a different viewpoint or frame. The difference of frame will determine the quality of your life. If we wish to have a happier and more successful life, let’s change our viewpoint.

Thank you very much,
Grand Master Chang