Eyes On The Forehead – Part 1.

by Patrick Liew on September 16, 2013

Recently, I bumped into an old friend.

He looked excited to see me. He said, “Hey buddy! Haven’t seen you for such a long time. We should really catch up.

“How’re you doing? I remember you when you were young. Most of us thought that you would do well in life.”

At that point in time, I was in the mood for one of my usual self-deprecating jokes. “Nah! I didn’t quite make it in life.

“I’m just a struggling real estate salesperson, trying to make ends meet.”

Suddenly, I felt a change in his disposition. He was not as enthusiastic as when he first started the conversation.

It was quite clear that he didn’t want to associate with somebody below his status.

I went on to ask him, “So, when can we catch up for coffee?”

His reply was such a turning point in the event that it almost made me laugh. I’m still amused by it.

He said, “I’m quite a busy man. Hardly anytime in the day. And I have to spend lots of time with my children in the evening.

“Let’s see how things goes.” We then went our separate ways.

Much later, I asked myself, What can I learn from this conversation?

Our Creator has made all of us to be equal. We have equal rights, opportunities, and pathways to achieve success.

Nobody has the right to look down on anybody. If anything, we should develop a disdain for the holier-than-thou attitude in society.

It does not matter what you do or a living. Whether you are a lorry driver like my late father, a labourer like my mother, a construction worker like my late eldest brother, or a taxi driver like one of my best friends, we should be contented and be proud of our job.

We should do it to the best of our abilities because it is not what we do but how we do what we do that makes us professionals. We are just as important as any president, CEO, or king.

We should be friendly to one another and extend warmth to every person that crosses our paths. If possible, we should lend a listening ear and a helping hand to assist the next person we meet to find more fulfilment in life.

Why do people pass judgements and look down on others? Let me hazard some guesses.

Many do it because it makes them feel that they are better than others and are therefore in a position to pass judgements on them. They feel good and superior about themselves.

Some do it as a way to escape from themselves. Instead of confronting their own weaknesses and feeling bad about it, they redirect their attention on others.

There could also be one more reason and it has to do with having a mental disorder, including suffering from an obsessive compulsive disorder or a borderline personality. Their sense of ‘right’eousness and belief in ‘rightness’ will make them see the wrongs in others and do the wrong things.

Quite possibly, there are people who do it as a form of revenge and to spite others. They don’t have the courage to straighten things out and they consciously or unconsciously decide to bring others down.

It is also possible that many harbor good intentions to help others change and become a  better person. They have a mistaken notion that the more they criticise others, the more and faster these people will change and improve their lives.

Whatever the reason, it takes a small mind to see mainly the chip on another person’s eyes and not the forest in his own eyes.

A magnanimous spirit sees the good in others. He looks down only because he wants to lift others up so that they can live a much better life.

Go4It!

I hope this message will find a place in your heart.

By the way, I have also recorded other reflections.

Visit my Inspiration blog at http://liewinspiration.wordpress.com/

For my opinions on social affairs, please visit my Transformation blog at http://hsrpatrickliew.wordpress.com/

Please visit my website, www.patrickliew.net

Please read my reflections and continue to teach me.

Life is FUNtastic!

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