Day 170
Every session I ask my students to prepare an oral presentation about their passion. As we were doing that activity last semester, a student of mine said something that I thought was really interesting. First, you have to know that this Tunisian woman is one of the most genuine, honest, kind, natural and happy people I have ever met.
As people were going up to do their presentations, she commented that she was so glad that through this exercise she was able to find out something special about each of the students. She continued by saying that everyone has something special and that she loves to take the time to discover it. At that point, I looked at her and thought: "I want to be just like you when I grow up".
I don’t consider myself being particularly judgmental, but I do sometimes get annoyed by people and then stop looking for that diamond in the rough.
I really feel that her words have impacted my way of looking at people. Whenever there is a person that rubs me the wrong way, I look twice to try and find something good about them. And funny enough, I’ve actually been able to do that. Sometimes it's harder than others...you gotta dig deep, but most of the time it doesn't take much.
When you give people the benefit of the doubt and show them some interest, although they initially seem disagreeable; they often turn around and become kinder. Initial aggressivity and rudeness, I discovered, often stem from a defence mechanism.
And that is exactly what happened to me this semester with one of my students. I discovered that behind a seemingly rude and tough surface, there was a gentle and generous soul.
Developing these qualities has definitely been beneficial in my life. Feelings of anger, frustration and irritation toward others tend to be destructive, while giving love and kindness, even to people who initially did not give you a good impression, just plainly feels good and helps make the world a better place. All right, so there goes my sappy side again!!! What can I say, I just can't help it!!!
Peace and Love
The hippie wanna be!
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