QUOTATION OF THE WEEK
Many of the faults you see in others, dear reader, are your own
nature reflected in them. As the Profit said, "The faithful are
mirrors to one another."
--Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
One of the most difficult lessons in life is realizing that we are often mirrors to each other. Think of a time when you meet someone with whom you just "clicked." Why was that? Part of the reason may have been that the person mirrored you. You saw in that person things about your self that you liked. There was an attraction based on a commonality within your personalities. This is a pleasant experience and one to which we would readily admit. Conversely, think of the times when you meet a person who grated you the wrong way. You found yourself annoyed with their mannerisms, or their way of talking, or their attitude. Are they a mirror of you? Your first reaction may be, "Of course not! I would never do anything like that." Really? Look in the mirror, however hard it may be to do so, and you may just find some of the same traits. This realization can be very profound in two ways: first we gain a deeper knowledge of ourselves and the changes we need to make, and secondly we can gain an understanding of others and are more accepting of them.
There once was a young man who constantly found fault with a particular shopkeeper he visited. The shopkeeper was often rude, did not listen, offered very little help, and he had this annoying way of not looking at you when speaking, like he really wished you were not there. Yet he was the only shopkeeper in many miles and the man had to shop at his store if he wanted to buy the things he needed. The man's annoyance at the shopkeeper was almost an obsession. The young man owned a shoe repair shop and one day a little girl brought in some shoes for repair. He was already behind in his orders, and when he saw the young girl enter with several pairs of shoes he grunted, did not say hello, and grudgingly went to the counter to write up her order. "Good morning" the little girl cheerfully said. He replied with a grunt. "How are you this morning?" Another grunt. Finally the girl said, "Are you having a bad day?" The man grumbled, "Why do you ask?" The little girl replied, "You do not seem very happy, and you do not even look at me when I am talking. But that is ok, I have days I feel like that. I hope you feel better soon." She turned and skipped out the door. The man just stood there watching her skip and run down the street. "What have I been doing?" he thought, "I am just like the shopkeeper that I find so annoying. I cannot change him but I can change myself." Oh, it was not an overnight transformation, it took time and work, but the young man became the person he wanted to be. He looked at himself and others in a different light. He understood others more and he understood himself more.
So the next time you find something very annoying in another, look in the mirror. Is that you looking back?
Blessings and Love,
Allen Schmeltz
Copyright © 2000 Allen F. Schmeltz. All rights reserved.
To return to the Index click here.