She just was a “daisy”
For her being a daisy was based on simply daisy intentions. Not on how people view her or what she even was. Everything she did was out of daisy intentions. She planted daisies. Everything she said she said in a daisy way. Everything she did she did in a daisy way. Everything she thought she thought in a daisy way. She wasn’t forcing herself to believe in that mentality. She just was that mentality.
Children can grow up together, eat the same food, play the same games but in the end they all go their different ways. Why? Because we all have different personalities. Those personalities were not picked by us. They were chosen for us. As we get older we can add or subtract to that personality and mold it a certain way via our subconscious but there was always a foundation. That foundation was not our choice. It is our destiny.
So here Daisy is, just planting daisies wherever she goes. Daisy thoughts. Daisy motives. Daisy everything. Not caring about the last daisy she planted or the next daisy to come. Her job is not to worry about the past or the future. Her job isn’t even to be happy or sad it is simply to plant one daisy at a time and to be a “Daisy” in this world.
A bulldozer
Behind her however is a bulldozer along with many other bulldozers. Their job is not to care about whether bulldozing is right or wrong. It’s just about bulldozing. They don’t care about the last bulldozing they did nor do they care about the next bulldozing they will do. The bulldozers do not think of themselves as happy or sad they just are bulldozers. Doing what they are designed to do… bulldoze.
The dichotomy
And there in lies the dichotomy of daisies and bulldozers. But the truth is daisies don’t really care about the bulldozers nor do the bulldozers care about the daisies. They both just do what their personality is. What their “job” is. They don’t care about the outcome they just are whatever is the present.
But the story doesn’t end there. You see there are those that stand by and watch this dichotomy. Back and forth. Between daisies and bulldozers.
There are some that root for the daisies to continue to grow and spread their delicate yet relentless energy and there are other that root for the bulldozers to continue to start a clear path to spread their strong yet inflexible ideas.
One group feels optimistic that the daisies will win. The other group feels equally optimistic that the bulldozers will win. They are not bulldozers nor are they daisies.. they are simply optimistic fans. They are “happy” but they are not doing anything. They are simply happy watching.
But then there are two other groups of people. Those who are pessimistic. They watch the daisies and see them constantly destroyed by the bulldozers and they weep and see it as sad. They never see that another daisy is soon to sprout instead they just look for the next daisy to be taken by its roots by the bulldozers. They don’t feel any hope, they are sad. Although they themselves are not contributing to this dichotomy… They are simply watching and feeling sad.
Similar can be said for those who feel frustrated watching the bulldozers. Every time a bulldozer seems to be close to a daisy free path, another daisy seems to sprout up. They watch and are frustrated and sad. They themselves aren’t contributing but are merely watching. But as they watch they lose hope and feel sad and frustrated.
Watchers and Windows
Then there is one last group. A group that watches everything through a large clear window. They see the daisies. They see the bulldozers. They see those who root for the daisies. They see those who root for the bulldozers. And they see those who get sad for the daisies. And they see those who get sad for the bulldozers. And they watch it all and realize it’s all a play. They can try to tell those that watch that it is all a play and that there is no need to get all your emotions involved but they cannot. They want to explain that their only job is to appreciate they are all part of a bigger picture… part of the same painting… part of the same photograph. But unfortunately those that watch through the window have no way to communicate to those that are beyond the window. The window allows you only to see but not to connect unless they somehow are standing behind the window too. Like looking at a television. Or looking at a painting. Or looking at a photograph. You cannot connect with the those that are in the images. You can only visualize.
The dichotomy will never end. It will continue to be daisies and bulldozers and those that root for them and those that lose hope. Daisies and bulldozers. But alas it’s all a play.
Richard A. Ulrich, MD says
In I Sam 25, we were studying the Biblical David and his efforts to secure some food from bulldozer Nabal when Daisy Abigail intervened. We had a lot of discussion about whether personalities can be changed. The consensus was that personalities generally are stable (“conserved” I think is the genetic term), but that behavior can be modified or enforced. The Disciple’s (Lord’s) Prayer implores God to “deliver us from evil” — this likely means enabling God-control and self-control rather than eliminating basic personality structure or the option to do right or wrong. Thick-skinned, less sensitive personalities seem to be required for effective management while the tender sorts can preserve and minister to those who feel bruised. Both are essential. [Aug 2016]