I like it that so many people are becoming introspective enough to search for the lesson in experiences they have/had/are having. They want to know what they are supposed to learn from any particular happening, which I find refreshing. Even better when they take that knowledge and apply is common sensically (rather than obsessively, idealically, or haphazardly). I also really like it when I hear from clients that they’ve not only applied what they learned but have gone one to make introspection and regular part of their lives and used their new found skill to continue to improve their lives. It’s the stuff of enlightenment. 🙂
However, like every good thing, too much can be detrimental. Yes, being paranoid doesn’t meant that you aren’t being followed, but it still points to the fact that you’re behaving in a way that is detrimental to your quality of life. Being too introspective, looking for hidden meaning or lessons in every single thing that happens can turn a good thing into narcissism. It can remove us from the world, not engage us in it. It points to imbalance, because sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
But beyond that, looking for lessons in every single thing that happens to us is like trying to make the experiences provided by the universe “one-size-fits-all.” If we’re just here to learn lessons, if life is just a school where we are perpetual students, then what about free will? What about graduation? What about applying what we’ve learned and going out on our own to make mistakes. I for one don’t want to be in school forever. It’s too gorgeous outside today and I’m going to put out new bark dust. So there. 😛 There are plenty of lessons I can learn from that process, but I’m going to resist them and instead be in the now with feeling pleased that my yard looks better and is prepared to resist weeds.
After being introspective for a while, cleanse your palate, do something because its something that needs to be done in the moment. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Do something so that when it’s time to be introspective again you’ll have something to introspect about.