A Dark and Cluttered Window: A Snapshot Into Our Lives?

Rorschach tests offer a fascinating window into people’s world.

A Rorschach test is simple – take a paper, fold it into two. Spill some ink. Fold the paper, and the ink spreads to form a picture.

Psychologists ask subjects to interpret the image. 

• One person may see a tiger
• Another may see sunlight
• A third may see three people laughing
• A fourth may see three people crying

There really is no right answer – it is a small window into a person’s world.

Today’s writing prompt in the OS.me writing exercise is the following image. This is a Rorshach test – I’m fascinated to see what others create from this image. 

And this is a timed exercise, where I collect all my thoughts in a hurry.

I’m therefore very interested to see what I think.

Cluttered Window

The window is cluttered with the plants growing from all sides.

Clutter has debilitating effects. As a result of the clutter from the window, sunlight can’t enter the room. And the room is filled with darkness.

A window is a potent metaphor. Our lives may be as cluttered as this window. 

The good news: The clutter in the window as well as our lives can be fixed.

Care

The plants cause the clutter because they haven’t been cared for.

Our lives are no different. Do we:

• Exercise
• Get rid of junk we don’t need
• Eat well
• Keep our spaces clean

If the answer is no, we have work to do!

Dark Room

There is no light in the room. 

This causes a sense of sadness. It reminds us of melancholic poems. 

Switching on a light in the room will change the picture completely.

Identifying the Problem

You may be thinking this post has taken a pessimistic view of the window.

Tony Robbins says that if there are weeds in your garden, you must identify them and call them as weeds. That is the first step to go ahead and remove the weeds. Saying “there are no weeds” is the way to ensure that the garden remains unmaintained.  

The article has identified problems so far.

The next step is to offer solutions.

Next Steps

“What next” is a muscle that can be trained.

We always have the option of being solution oriented.

Here are some next steps which can change the picture completely: 

• Organise the Plants in an aesthetic way.
• Remove some of the plants if they have dried
• Have an action plan to maintain the plants
• Switch on the light in the room!

A similar action plan to take stock of our lives can help live fully. 

Clutter-free.

Conclusion

Evolution has given us a handicap – we are wired to gather and hoard food as cavemen.

We don’t live in a cave today, but our brains haven’t made the switch. Our lives aren’t too dissimilar from the cluttered window. Let us unclutter the window that is our lives. And let the sunlight flow in.

So that we can radiate this sunlight back to the world. 

P.S. This is the first post in the os.me community writing exercise. This continues for four more days. If you haven’t joined today, I highly recommend this exercise. Writing in a group setting is a different experience.