Tony Robbins -Re-Awaken_the_Giant_Within

Then a dramatic thing happened. As I observed on TV the last sliver of sunlight disappear behind the
moon, in that instant we were engulfed in darkness. It was completely unlike nightfall, when the sky
darkens gradually. This was immediate and total darkness! Initially there was a roar through the crowd,
but then a hush fell upon us. The birds flew into the trees and became silent. It was a truly amazing
moment. Then something hysterical happened. As people sat in the dark, staring at the eclipse on the
television screen, some of those who had brought their cameras and were determined to get their
outcome began taking pictures of the screen. In a moment, we were flooded with light again—not
because of the sun—but because of all the flash bulbs!
Almost as soon as it had begun, though, totality was over. The most dramatic moment of the whole event
for me was the instant that a thin sliver of the sun slipped out from behind the moon, instantly bringing
full daylight with it. It occurred to me then that it doesn’t take very much light to wipe out the darkness.
Within moments of the return of sunlight, a large number of people got up and began to leave. I was
puzzled. After all, the eclipse was still happening. Most of them were muttering complaints about how
they’d “come all this way and missed out on the experience of a lifetime.” A few enraptured souls,
however, lingered to watch every minute, feeling great excitement and joy. The most ironic thing of all
was that within fifteen to twenty minutes, the trade winds had cleared all the clouds from the sky. It was
now blue and clear, and the eclipse was revealed for everyone to see. But few people had remained;
most had already returned to their rooms disgruntled. They continued to give themselves the sensations
of pain because their expectations had not been met.
As I usually do, I started interviewing people. I wanted to find out what their experience of the eclipse
had been. Many people talked about how it was the most incredible, spiritual experience of their lives.
One pregnant woman rubbed her swollen tummy and shared with me that the eclipse somehow had
created a feeling of stronger connection with her unborn child, and that this was just the right place on
Earth for her to be. What a contrast of beliefs and rules I noticed today!
What struck me as most humorous, though, was that people would get so excited and emotional about
something like this, which was merely a four-minute shadow. If you really think about it, it’s no more of
a miracle than the sun coming up each morning! Can you imagine if every morning people from all over
the world got up early so they could watch the sun come up? What if national and international news
ardently covered every phase of the event with in-depth reports, passionately tracking the sun’s rise into
the sky, and everybody spent their mornings talking about what a miracle it is? Can you imagine the kind
of days we’d have? What if CNN opened every broadcast with, “Good morning. Once again, the miracle
has happened—the sun has risen!”? Why don’t we respond this way? Could we? You bet we could. But
the problem is that we’ve become habituated. We’re so accustomed to the miracles happening around
us every day that we don’t even see them as miracles anymore.
For most of us, our rules for what’s valuable dictate that we covet things that are scarce, instead of
appreciating the miracles that abound. What determined the differences in these people’s responses,
from one man who got so upset he destroyed his camera on the spot, to those who not only experienced
joy today, but would experience it every time they told others about the eclipse in the coming weeks,
months, and years?
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