Good morning!
I once listened to a speaker who shared a story I will
never forget. He was at a restaurant working on a speech. He had hoped
to have some "quiet time" to reflect and prepare. Shortly after he
arrived, a family was seated about three tables away. The children were
misbehaving badly. They were stomping forks and knives on the table,
pulling at each other, and making a general ruckus. The speaker
couldn't understand how this father could let his children behave like
that... or why he would take such misbehaved children into public.
He tried to be
patient, but after 20 minutes of these noise levels sustaining, he
asked his waitress to ask the family to quiet down if possible. The
father then stood up and walked over to the speaker. The next words
changed the speaker's outlook forever. "I am sorry sir," he said in a
kind, sincere and sad voice. "The children just lost their mother two
days ago -- and I just haven't been able to get them to settle down
since. I thought getting a good meal in them would help." He and the
speaker went on to exchange a few lines and parted on good terms. Of
course, the speaker wasn't "wrong" for wanting his private time to
prepare and reflect. Nor was the father "wrong" for taking his children
out for a meal. What often happens is we think in terms of "right and
wrong" when in reality every story has different angles--sometimes many
different angles. Looking at these angles is great exercise for the
mind.
Your turn: We all have habitual
tendencies which will allow us to believe something about a given
situation, whether it is right or not. Try to stop worrying about right
and wrong. Instead, exercise your mind and come up with as many reasons
as you can--explore all the angles.
Your affirmation: I do not concern
myself with right and wrong. I do concern myself with understanding.
