Is the
Glass Half Full... Or is it Half Empty?
For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else
- Sir
Winston Churchill
An age-old rhetorical question has been
asked perhaps millions of times over. “Is the glass half-empty, or half-full?”
is used to ask whether you are being optimistic or pessimistic about a
situation or outlook. I always thought for the longest time that this was a
great theory that you could always be optimistic or pessimistic no matter what
situation happens and now as I grow older, I have realized that the glass
is neither of these.
I’ve heard other parts to this: “The glass
is twice the size it needs to be”, “It’s all about the glass”, “I drank all the
water while you weren’t looking”. I chuckle at each one because a lot of it
does actually explain how people look at life and I’m sure it brings a smile to
the faces of the people who realize that they would probably do or think about
it the same way. But it’s only a single way of looking at it and that is not
what the glass of liquid represents in its entirety.
Let’s say you have one glass, size doesn’t
matter because some people have larger or smaller glasses in life. Short, tall,
wide, narrow, thin, thick, clear or blue etc. it doesn’t matter. What truly
matters is what is inside the glass and the actions taken with these objects.
Let’s start with water.
Water is the life source, it is what helps
us stay alive. So that being said, if the glass had water in it, then that
would be the source of life. What happens if that water is only halfway up the
glass? Is it only supporting half a life? I say no! It takes multiple glasses
to keep life going and saying the glass is only half empty or half full is only
representing a portion of how you are feeling.
So who filled the cup? Well, most people
would probably say “You did” or “It was put there”. But if you are alone with
the cup and that is your cup, wouldn’t you take responsibility for it being
filled or empty? You could fill the cup with water and you could drink the
water from the cup. You could pour the water out a bit, or completely. You
could pour something else in there be it dirt, soda, liquor, nuts, candy or you
could just leave it with nothing but air. Even then you could create a vacuum
in the cup and not have anything left.
You have control over the cup. Period. But
that doesn’t mean that others might not mess with your cup. Maybe they’ll be
nice and pour nice clean water into it. Maybe they’ll drink from your cup and
clean it and refill it. Maybe they won’t clean it (Which I hope at least each
person would). Some may put dirt in it and maybe even break the cup.
How sad would it be if the only cup you
had was broken? Unfortunately in life, sometimes this will happen. Whether it
is our own fault or caused by others. Whether it was on purpose or not we have
the ability to protect our cup. When we lose our cup for whatever reason, it is
expected to us to replace that cup. Maybe someone else will give us a cup to
get started again and it may not be the same exact one, but at least it’s a
cup! We should help others protect their cups and not allow bullying and
belittling to happen! We need to stand up for those who cannot or don’t know
how to protect their cup and it’s contents.
When we pour water into our cup, we are
enriching our lives. We are providing a life source to ourselves affecting how
we live each and every day. When we drink from our cup, we consume those things
for a good use and sometimes we spill a little bit and that’s alright. We
always have the option to fill it again! We can even fill it to the point of
overflowing! What we shouldn’t do is take our cups and pour the water out onto
the ground, or add things to the cup that won’t help us in life.
Pouring the water out is taking the blessings and talents in life
that we are given or worked on and are taking each and every one of those for
granted saying, “I can always refill my cup with more”. While there might be an
unlimited supply of water, what if your glass is stolen, broken or misplaced?
How will you partake in the water then? Messily and poured straight into your
mouth. The “I want it now approach” which unfortunately is the way the newer
generations are starting to act. They are forgoing the cup and the experiences
learned to fill and maintain it, and are opting for just the pouring of the
water straight into their mouths.
Unsanitary, disgusting and not efficient
or effective. We should be teaching our children and people around us how to
use their cups and helping them become a Master Cup Holder. (See what I did
there?! I’m so clever ha!). Others might try to take your cup and drink from
yours because theirs is empty or they are afraid that they cannot refill or
maintain theirs. Others might try and pour other things into your cup and it is
up to you on how you react.
Imagine someone poured dirt into your cup,
and then walked away. Would you hunt them down and demand that they take care
of the cup? Would you take their cup away from them or break it as a
punishment? I would certainly hope not. I would hope that you would forgive
that person and dump the dirt and grime out, wash it, dry it and refill your
cup again with clean water. We hold grudges for too long and we get so mad at
the littlest thing. What if your child needed to take a sip of your cup because
they were out? Would you let them? Would you be any less willing to let someone
drink from your cup?
Do you allow the cup to become dirty and
tainted over time? If you allow the cup to get to a point of dirtiness and
filth that will slowly affect your life. It could make you sick or not feel
good and continue to slowly poison you just as when we allow bad things in life
take over ourselves.
Sometimes it’s nice to pour a glass of
soda or juice. Make life extra sweet and bubbly! But beware too much of that
can be a bad thing and we forget about the water or don’t want the water. We
want the sweet here and now and forgo the life source. Sometimes we have to
take the bad with the good. There may be times when we have to go without water
or cleaning the cup for a time. We may also have let the water turn stale and
warm from sitting out and not drinking the water. These times in our lives, no
matter how long or short, will prove what we are made of. If you endure through
these times, you can again at some point, refill the cup and drink the water.
So in the end. It’s not about the cup, or
the liquid or what is in the cup. It is what YOU do with the cup. A few
questions I would like to ask people to think when they hear the cup question
are:
Do you fill and partake of the water in
the cup that can bring joy and happiness in your life?
Do you refill your cup with water and other things that will bring
happiness, or do you allow others and yourself to fill it with dirt and garbage
or to become dirty or full of stale water?
Do you protect your cup and help others who may be struggling to
protect their cup and the contents?
Do you help others maintain their cups and teach them how to do so
in the future so that they can help others themselves?
