Projection, in psychology, is when people ascribe their own thoughts onto others.
My projection is that you might want some definition of “projection,” here and now.
That second definition describes projection as a behavior rather than as thoughts, which reflects people’s thinking that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all interrelated.
I think there is a lot of projection going on these days, making it difficult for us to understand other people’s differing opinions and choices. I think the best we can do is to be aware of our own projections, so we can leave room for the fullness and complexity of other beings.
Do you see projection in any of my images for today?
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In honor of National Thesaurus Day, here are synonyms for “projection.”
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Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “projection.”
My final projection of this blog post is to assume that others are grateful, every day, for wonderful people like YOU.
When I took a moment this morning for considering the topic of today’s blog post, I remembered a moment for empathy evoked by George Takei in his recent Twitter thread, as follows:
Speaking for myself and other empathic people I encounter in my groups and elsewhere, many of us are struggling to find our usual moments for empathy. People feel so angry, exhausted, frightened, anxious, sad, lost, isolated, helpless, and/or betrayed, that we need to re-commit, over and over again, to moments for empathy.
Are there moments for empathy in my recent photos?
Honk if you can find a moment for empathy among all the bullshit.
Here is George Takei finding many moments for empathy in his TED talk “Why I love a country that once betrayed me.”
Here’s one comment in response to George Takei’s momentous, empathic talk:
Patriotism is supporting your county all the time and your government when it deserves it.
Let’s see what’s not dead in my other photos from yesterday:
I mentioned in a recent not dead post that I’ve been playing Peggle on my phone, so that I can remain not dead and self-soothed during anxious times. I’ve been stuck on Level 105 for MANY not dead days. I always die on the second of three very difficult “battles” and have to start over again. Yesterday, while I was Peggling at the mall, I lived through the incredibly difficult Battle 2 of Level 105, much to my amazement. After I paused the game and then wondered if my dying phone had lost my progress, I said to my dear and not dead husband Michael, “If my phone lost this and I have to start this level over again, I’ll kill myself.”
And I stopped and thought, “WHAT did I just say? There’s no way I’d kill myself over Peggle!”
Even better, I realized, there’s no way I’d kill myself over anything.
When we got home, I told Michael I was going to try to complete Level 105 and if I failed and died, “You’ll hear an unearthly moan of pain.” However, when I did die almost immediately in the much easier third battle, I neither moaned nor cared. I was happy to restart Level 105 with a new life.
As I said to Michael, “Now that I know that it’s possible, I’m fine.”
Then Michael and I danced to this not dead song (living here on YouTube):
Edwyn Collins, as of this writing, is not dead, although he is struggling to stay alive, according to the YouTube comments.
Now it’s time for my undying gratitude to all who help me create these not dead posts, including YOU!
As I am experiencing differences between Los Angeles and Boston and exploring similarities and differences at a group therapy conference, do you notice any differences in today’s post?
One can state, without exaggeration, that the observation of and the search for similarities and differences are the basis for all human knowledge. — Alfred Nobel
The purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for differences. — Ruth Benedict
I refuse to let any man-made differences separate me from any other human beings. — Maya Angelou
Stories are the common ground that allow people to connect, despite all our defenses and all our differences. — Kate Forsyth
If you don’t acknowledge differences, it’s as bad as stereotyping or reducing someone. — Aasif Mandvi
It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. — Audre Lorde
We don’t need a melting pot in this country, folks. We need a salad bowl. In a salad bowl, you put in the different things. You want the vegetables — the lettuce, the cucumbers, the onions, the green peppers — to maintain their identity. You appreciate the differences. — Jane Elliot
Talent perceives differences; genius, unity. — William Butler Yeats
All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything. — Swami Vivekenanda
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee. — Marian Wright Edelman
Embrace your differences and the qualities about you that you think are weird. Eventually, they’re going to be the only things separating you from everyone else. — Sebastian Stan
Between friends differences in taste or opinion are irritating in direct proportion to their triviality. — W.H. Auden
One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives. — Mark Twain
What are your different thoughts and feelings about differences?
Here‘s a song about differences that I think about on many different days:
Thanks to all who make a difference, including YOU.
“Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt,” wrote Mark Twain. Here are other undeniable quotes about denial:
It’s not denial. I’m just selective about the reality I accept. — Bill Watterson
In one way, I suppose, I have been “in denial” for some time, knowingly burning the candle at both ends and finding it often gives a lovely light. — Christopher Hitchens
I feel that as you’re long as you’re honest, you have the opportunity to grow. It’s when you shut down, go into denial, and try to start hiding things from yourself and others, that’s when you lock into certain behaviors and attitudes that keep you stuck. — Tracy McMillan
I have a very highly developed sense of denial. — Gwyneth Paltrow
I have a very highly developed sense of denial, too — that’s why it’s taken me so long to write today’s post. My iPhone camera, my laptop, and WordPress keep denying each other access and I’m almost in complete denial about that. I’ve had to restart my computer many times to load this photo about denial:
Since we’ve moved a week ago, I’ve been going in and out of denial about all the preparations needed to make this house a home. That reminds me of this quote from Melody Beattie:
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast …
… a house into a home,
… a stranger into a friend.
That’s Scott — one of many service people visiting our new home these days — taking a picture of Oscar to send to his girlfriend. There’s no denying that we’re all cat people around here.
Since gratitude unlocks the fullness of life, here’s undeniable gratitude to all who helped me create this post. And there’s no denying my gratitude to you, my readers.
For those of you who think I’m in denial about including a relevant YouTube video, here‘s one for you:
