Friday, March 20, 2009

Expectations


Expectations...they're a funny little thing thing. I went to New York expecting to have a great time, and I met my expectations, with a few little quirks along the way. Without going into too much detail, I got a lesson in expectations while there. Looking back, I'd have to say that expectations have a lot to do with how we reflect or even make decisions - and expectations can be tricky. I was going to recap all the small details and funny intricacies of the trip, but it really came down to dealing with expectations. I have a "friend" there, who in the course of the weekend, both exceeded and missed reaching my expectations.

It's funny and ironic to me that when you enter something with little expectations, many times the reality of the situation far surpasses them. And then, when you hold out with your expectations, that you never intended to have in the first place, mind you, inevitably you are let down. 

I'm not saying expectations are good or bad. I think its necessary to have hope, and equally wise to set your own limits. But even in books, the best experiences tend to happen when you go into reading them with little expectations or preconceived judgement. Letting those go can be freeing. And that's exactly what we need, freedom with no expectations.

1 comment:

  1. i wanted to respond to this earlier, but i had to think about it for awhile - sorry for this long comment.

    so you say that expectations are neither good nor bad - which is what i understand them to be. but after that, you mention hope - do you think expectations and hope are the same? don't.
    I know expectations as: the thoughts of looking to something with anticipation or eagerness - so you can expect something good, bad, or neutral. and I know hope as: a desirable expectation. and usually, i think that a person's desires are usually self-fulfilling or beneficial.

    I think you're right about hope and wisdom being necessary in making good judgements or decisions.

    this is what i think about freedom:

    There is no freedom with no expectation - only freedom because freedom is a state of being free, therefor lacking the constraints of anticipating thoughts, or expecations.

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