"What you see in others exists inside
of you"-
A few years ago if I came across this
quote I would have probably brushed it away not seeing the wisdom in it.
But recently when I came across it I took a notice. Something
inside of me really resonated with these simple words. My journey of self-discovery
through the path of yoga has helped me remove many layers of ignorance from
within (and still there's plenty there to still remove). What i have come
to realize is that there are many people from the past and the present, that I
truly admire. Some of whom are Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Swami
Vivekananda, Mother Teresa....the list can go on and on but what I'm trying to
say is that we admire qualities in others that already exist within us.
We all have heroes that we look up to and admire because they bring up
those aspirations that we have buried deep inside of us. So that sounds all
lovely and good then why is it that when I come across an intolerant friend or
a controlling relative I can see all their flaws and then some.... Hmmmm could
it be? Yes those all exits in me as well. So then what am I to do?
I conclude with an understanding that each
emotion that is stirred in me is there to teach me a lesson, so rather than get
carried away by it, feel it try to understand it and move on.
Your thoughts?
I relate to this more and more as I grow older.
ReplyDeleteNot only is it true from my side, but it is also true from the other side. Our friends are attracted to us and connect with us instantly sometimes because they are able to spot familiar qualities in us. If we truly believe in this "like attract like" concept, then we must also be able to accept that if we are attracting the wrong crowd, it is time to introspect. When we label others as controlling, that means we are also controlling -you have already stated that above. Now the question is do you label yourself "controlling"? Is that your defining quality or do you cut yourself some slack and say "I can get controlling sometimes". Why are we so quick to slap on labels on others. If we see them display a certain behaviour once a week, is that their defining quality? We must also learn not to label and judge - that is most difficult. Anyway, just my two cents and love the idea of this blog, good work!
Thanks K!
ReplyDelete