Missing the Big Picture by Donovan, Luke (great book club books txt) 📕

about trying to get what you can from other people or having people like you; it’s more like a school.

So, life is like a school, and we are all students in the school of life. Just like any school, I believe there are times when we are tested through series of moral dilemmas. Should we do the morally responsible thing or be accepted? There are two of the biggest tests to take: how we react when bad things happen to us, and how we put up with things that we don’t like. Everybody has always wanted an answer to the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” My answer is that good people don’t always see things as bad; they see them as opportunities to help. In a perfect world, there would be no human suffering—but then there wouldn’t be any awards of peace or service, and very few individuals would be warmhearted, because why would anybody need to help anybody else out?

I also think our lives are like writing research papers. I had an instructor in college who told me, “The best research papers are those that are coherent, have strong arguments, and show independent thought.” I think the best people are those who are the most coherent; have a very small gap between their beliefs and their actions; are assertive, not passive or aggressive; and have their own independent thoughts.

For anybody to write a high-quality research paper, he or she must use many sources. I have lived my life getting to know people of all different backgrounds, races, creeds, and beliefs. I went to an affluent Catholic school and worked part time at McDonald’s. I think most problems are caused by using one source to write a research paper. That’s why I try to surround myself with many different kinds of people, even people who are different and disagree with me.

Having good self-esteem is a huge factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Many times our self-esteem comes from the people surrounding us. The laws of probability claim that the more people we surround ourselves with, the more influences we will have, and the greater the chance that a negative source will try to diminish our self-esteem. In fact, I often think the people I’ve met are just like food. Unfortunately, I think some of the bullies in my life were like junk food. They were really bad for me, but I knew it and still choose to hang out with them.

My second analogy is comparing our interactions and lives to driving and cars. There are many different cars out there; in fact, it can be overwhelming to choose one. Just like streets and highways offer many ways to get to a destination, it’s important to remember that in life there will be tons of different options, some of which are unconventional. My favorite part of this analogy is that just like when you’re driving, you want to remain in control. We wouldn’t let anybody drive our car without our permission; hopefully, the same thing goes for our major life decisions.

I also compare living life to a day at an amusement park. Most amusement parks have roller coasters or other rides that everybody wants to go on, but the lesser known rides can be just as fun. The roller coasters have many highs, but the same amount of lows. Most people are attracted to the roller coasters, or the people who have the best personalities, the most money, the best looks, and other socially desirable characteristics. More often than not, we forget that there are a whole bunch of other people—rides that aren’t as immediately appealing—that may not be our first pick, but may be a whole lot of fun. So maybe the people who we originally desire may not be available to us, but there are many people—just like rides in the amusement park—who are waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. People have to look for them, just like they have to look for the rides in an amusement park.

In another manner, think how people normally manage their time at a day at the amusement park. Just like in life, the amusement park will soon close for the day, so you have limited time to do everything. It’s impossible to visit every roller coaster or ride, and if somebody did, he or she might not have enough time on each ride to enjoy it to the fullest extent. Compare this to how we plan our days. There is so much we try to do in a short time frame that our children, significant others, and important activities receive insufficient attention.

So, for anybody planning to attend an amusement park soon, I suggest picking out only some of the main attractions, and then really taking the time to enjoy them, rather than trying to do everything. Now for those who of you who don’t have time for Six Flags or the Magic Kingdom and just want the metaphor: you don’t have time to give to everything or be everything, so instead just focus on a couple aspects of your life that you truly enjoy.

Now, no matter how much fun we’re having at an amusement park, we always need to take breaks or we’d end up barfing all over the rides. We all have times in our lives that are just boring, but we need these times to collect our thoughts, take breaks, and just enjoy life. Nobody is ever perpetually happy; everybody goes through depressed states from time to time.

Another thing that I have learned is that attitudes, especially bad attitudes, are very contagious. We are all impressionable, and we inherit our parents’ positive characteristics—but also many of their negative qualities, too. If somebody you know came down with the flu, you would want the person to get better—and maybe not get too close to you for fear that you, too, could become ill. My point is to keep a measurable distance between people in order to prevent