Two World Views
This lengthy quote -- erroneously attributed to the actress Meryl Streep -- has shown up in my Facebook feed a few times in the past couple of weeks. Turns out that Meryl never proclaimed this but rather it came from a Portuguese self-help guru, but that isn't why I'm sharing it.
The whole piece strikes me as oozing arrogance and self-importance. I'm astonished at the people who are posting it and implying that they share the sentiment. I'm imperfect; so is everyone else I know.
It is interesting that this seems to be shared as wisdom acquired by reaching a certain age. Perhaps this is so for some. My mileage has varied: As I've aged, I believe I've become [somewhat] more patient and have developed a bit more tolerance. I've tried to adopt a different mantra:
Some days, I'm more successful than others!
Comments
Hugs!
At the time, the message hit home - that if someone isn't quite as kind and courteous as you think they should be, think that perhaps they have a lot on their plate right now and cut them some slack, rather than snarling back.
I do my best to remember that, and succeed...most of the time.
But the long quote is about more complex situations and it is about learning to set boundaries when there are unhealthy people in our circles. Sometimes it takes time, if not age, to reach the wisdom necessary to give certain people less space and control in our lives. Sometimes we have to choose between acting with Minnesota Nice, with teeth gritted, or dumping certain people.
But as you say, who among us doesn't also possess certain traits that might rub someone the wrong way? And if we are unable to own that stuff, we can't ask for forgiveness when we finally notice that we may have hurt someone.