I live in India and buy from open air markets. This morning I reached for papayas, pressing on them to see which two were most ripe. As I studied them, my gaze was repeatedly drawn to a row of oranges—full-shouldered globes with an occasional one having a small depression. Looking, I had a childhood memory of biting one and making juice jewels jump.
These colorful globes have different names. They are 1) fruits 2) citrus fruits 3) oranges, and 4) Valencias. Even more, I might have known where they were grown or what their characteristics were. Or it might have been that I hadn’t noticed them at all because I wasn’t ready for the experience that had that memory.
What I have learned about myself is that I can see and name only what I am ready to see and name—just as the oranges must ripen. My readiness includes not only my history and my knowledge but also whether by the destiny of my life it is time for me to have a particular experience.
When I transfer this awareness to my life, I understand that when I meet a person or encounter a situation, I can only know what I see, think, and feel within my personal experience, knowledge, and intuition. As with the oranges, meeting a person could prompt a little, a lot, or no information for a response, or for a negative reaction. When there is positive rapport, I get along well; while negative rapport depends on me as a reference point. I need to know more. But if I am ready for the experience, it will come to me.
My realization is, "God is everyone and everything. We see and name the world according to our experience and knowledge and encounter people and situations only when we are ready."