Is it a snake or a rope?
Imagine you are on your way walking briskly at night to meet your friend who lives close by, to go with him to a movie. You are walking on a narrow path in a poorly lit area. There is no better path close by.
You see some curly thing lying on the path ahead. You feel it may be a snake and stop immediately to take a good look. You are not able to figure out exactly what it is as the area does not have enough light. It may be a live snake, a dead snake or a rope. But which of these guesses is true? Time is passing. You are getting delayed and anxious to go ahead but afraid it may be a live snake.
If it is a dead snake or a rope, you are wasting your time looking at it and losing a cherished opportunity. If you conclude that it is a harmless thing and go forward but it turns out to be a poisonous snake, you could be bitten and may die. If you could confirm that it is a living snake, you could pick up a stick, kill the snake and go ahead without wasting much time. What should you do?
Seeing it’s true nature is all that is required to make the best out of your opportunity while keeping yourself alive. It is a matter of correct perception. Once you judge it correctly, you won’t remain frozen. You will take the appropriate action and move on towards your goal. Judging a person or a situation may save our lives, enable us to utilize the opportunities available and give us peace of mind. Is it not worth patiently spending time and effort to make the correct judgement?
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I told this story to a 76 year old woman who attended my weekly classes on ‘Counting Breaths’ and related methods as she had chronic anxiety problem. When I met her after a long time and asked how she was practicing, she said this story helped her a lot in countering her anxiety. Whenever she was worried about something, she asked herself “Is it a rope or snake?”
Another client who overcame road rage using the techniques said he liked this story and used it in his angry moments.
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