Noverra Earth

A Small Thought on Discernment

I don’t think the answer is becoming harder, colder, or more suspicious of everything.

Be generous.

Be collaborative.

Contribute.

Try to move toward understanding before jumping to defensiveness.

But don’t try to understand something for so long that you lose sight of what is actually happening.

Discernment is not cynicism.

And protection is not hostility.

Goodness benefits from discernment.

A garden isn’t loving because it has no fence.

A garden is loving because it protects what it grows.

That’s different.

Sometimes we become so focused on understanding others that we forget to remain connected to ourselves.

Sometimes we become so focused on protecting ourselves that we stop understanding others.

Neither extreme is particularly helpful.

Perhaps the practice is learning to remain open without becoming naive.

To remain kind without abandoning clarity.

To remain protective without abandoning compassion.

That feels like a garden worth tending.