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We went to Gran Canaria for one week in December 2016. Same island, same city and same hotel as we have been to the last years. The great thing about a vacation on this island is that you get complete rest, enjoy the sunny weather before going back to the cold weather in Norway (which too has it’s own beauty) and also get time to read some books by staying away from the internet. 
 
At Gran Canaria we passed by many areas where we could see those beautiful dark, pink coloured flowers surrounded by other dull colours. Whenever I saw those flowers, they caught my attention and I admired their beauty. Then I started thinking why I admire them that much, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you.
 
The dark, pink coloured flower has a special value in our eyes when it’s surrounded by dull colours, a lot of  brown colours and some green trees. We notice that dark, pink coloured flower more in surroundings like these. However, when the same dark, pink coloured flower is surrounded by a lot of flowers of the same type and same colour, we don’t appreciate it that much. It’s the same thing – yet we perceive it differently, judge it’s value differently depending on the surroundings. In reality the value should be the same, as it’s the same thing. In the same way, you and I have the same value, but are treated differently depending on our surroundings. In countries like Norway, white people appreciate the brown colour and want to get as much brown texture on their skin as they can in the summer time. Here most people have white complex, so they appreciate the opposite more and value it more. On the contrary, in countries like India, a lot of people try to get as white as they can by applying a lot of different creams or hiding their faces from the sun. They too are seeking the things they don’t have like most of the white people here in Norway.
 
Why is it like this? Why can’t we appreciate the value of everything and stop judging it by it’s surroundings? Why can’t we appreciate ourselves as we are instead of constantly striving to become something else?
 
The flower will be the same – even when it’s surrounded by other flowers and when it’s lonely. Our perception just perceive the flower differently. If we want to be more align to reality, we have to change our perception. Our way to look at things. Our way to judge things. We should learn to judge the flower as beautiful no matter what the surroundings are. We should learn to appreciate our skin colour no matter which country we live in. By constantly striving after the things we don’t have, we are indirectly telling ourselves that we are not good as we are. We are telling that flower that it’s not good enough.
 
Harveen Kaur

Harveen Kaur

I am a psychologist and I am in love with the work, both developing myself and serving my clients

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