A Thought on Thursday...
Ever since I told Sherwin about this quote he has been very quick to remind me of it when I speak inappropriately...which is way too often.
"Everyone thinks himself the master pattern of human nature; and by this, as on a touchstone, he tests all others. Behaviour that does not square with his is false and artificial. What brutish stupidity."
-Michel de Montaigne
In the past couple weeks this quote has been with me and I have taken the words 'the master pattern of human nature' and replaced them with the words 'the master pattern of human physical design' or 'the master pattern of good taste'; you can replace those words with whatever you find yourself up against in your own life.
If you think of this seriously you will find yourself in this quote...do you find yourself looking sideways at others with a critical evaluation running through your mind? Yesterday Sherwin said, Well, maybe people just don't realize that the hurtful things they say and do to others are just that...hurtful. But I don't buy that. I believe that many of us have felt superior in some facet of life over the others around us. Others are too tall, too short, too wide, too thin, too smart, too dumb, too pale, too dark...just not like ME. After a while it begins to sound like the whole world needs to be blue-eyed blonds! And we don't want to go there.
Instead I want my heart enlarged to include, not exclude. That means I will open my eyes to see the good around me and not look for a way it needs to be improved to my way of thinking. My excellence may not be your excellence...
Wish me well as I do for you.
"Everyone thinks himself the master pattern of human nature; and by this, as on a touchstone, he tests all others. Behaviour that does not square with his is false and artificial. What brutish stupidity."
-Michel de Montaigne
In the past couple weeks this quote has been with me and I have taken the words 'the master pattern of human nature' and replaced them with the words 'the master pattern of human physical design' or 'the master pattern of good taste'; you can replace those words with whatever you find yourself up against in your own life.
If you think of this seriously you will find yourself in this quote...do you find yourself looking sideways at others with a critical evaluation running through your mind? Yesterday Sherwin said, Well, maybe people just don't realize that the hurtful things they say and do to others are just that...hurtful. But I don't buy that. I believe that many of us have felt superior in some facet of life over the others around us. Others are too tall, too short, too wide, too thin, too smart, too dumb, too pale, too dark...just not like ME. After a while it begins to sound like the whole world needs to be blue-eyed blonds! And we don't want to go there.
Instead I want my heart enlarged to include, not exclude. That means I will open my eyes to see the good around me and not look for a way it needs to be improved to my way of thinking. My excellence may not be your excellence...
Wish me well as I do for you.
Easier said than done... but I am with you, babe. It is a real trick to give the most favorable interpretation at all times to everyone's comments.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who said that they think the devil twists the words that we say so that what others hear is not what we intended at all... and then wrong conclusions are reached.
We have such high ideals... and too often fall short in our own application. I do want to do better. Thank you for your patience with me. Don't give up on me.