�Who Says You Can�t Teach an Old Dog a New Trick or Two�

A young student from a prestigious university was taking a walk with one of his professors. This was no ordinary professor, this was the professor commonly called “The Students’ Friend,” because of the kindness, patience and compassion he showed to his students. As they walked along the student noticed a pair of old shoes, which he believed belonged to a poor man working in the fields nearby.

The student turned to the professor, saying: “Let;s play a trick on the worker: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and watch to see how he reacts.”

“My young friend,” answered the professor, “we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the others. In fact I’m sure you’ll attain greater pleasure by placing a coin into each shoe. Once you have we’ll hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him.”

The student placed a coin in each shoe and then along with the professor hide in the bushes. Soon the poor man finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. After pulling on his coat he slipped his foot into one of the shoes; feeling something hard, he stopped, stooped down and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder graced his face. He gazed upon the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around, but no one was to be seen. He slid the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; to his surprise he found the other coin. Feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to the heavens and uttered aloud a passionate thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without food and how this timely gift from an unknown hand would save them all from perishing.

The student stood there deeply affected, his eyes filling with tears. “Now,” said the professor, “is your pleasure not greater than had you played your intended trick?”

The youth replied, “You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget.”

“It is indeed more blessed to give than to receive.”

Author Unknown

“Can you believe those people, judging others.”

That’s life –  ”The flaws we acknowledge and condemn in others are the flaws we have yet to accept and change within our self.”

Isn’t life an interesting challenge?

First off, damn near every thought that enters our mind is a judgment – we like, we don’t like, it’s ok, it’s not ok, I don’t care, I care, up to them, that’s not right, they have no right, I can’t believe it, the list goes on and on and everyone of these judgments comes from our perspective – from the way we see things – from what we believe to be correct, and WE know – as our TRUTH!

But truth be told it’s impossible to know what someone else is thinking and feeling, because thoughts and feeling are unique to each individual. Sure when some one is sad we know they are sad but we are basing our understanding of their sadness upon what we know as sad and God forbid if they have a different understanding or experience of sad – BECAUSE that would either make their experience wrong or at the very least questionable – because after all we know “We’ve” experienced it and again we know THE TRUTH!!!

So let’s go back to the quote about flaws. Again we must be basing our judgment on the flaws we see in others on what we know to be flawed. And how do we know – because in fact we harbor these same flaws within our self – that is why some flaws become more apparent to us that others.

Once we become aware of why some flaws offend us more than others, we are able to find the compassion and forgiveness to accept that these people are our equals, no better or no worse than anyone else.