The following is an excerpt from Awakening the Eagle: A Guide to the Medicine Wheel by Ralph P. Brown (Tawennihake). He is offering an interview for this blog to be posted nearby soon.
Three men who sat on top of the same mountain, but at different times, were asked to describe it when they came down.
The first man said, "It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It was breath-taking."
The second man said, "I was scared to death because it was so high! I was lucky not to fall off!"
And finally, the third man said, "It was so lonely. I have never felt to isolated and alone."
But only one mountain. The mountain is what the mountain is. In truth, none of the perceptions is imposed on it by these three men. The mountain is a mountain and only the way people see it differs. Different moods cause different outlooks.