“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” ~ Plato
Of course, this is so much easier to remember when I am in a good mood, and when everything is going my way. So many times, I am getting on a crowded train, and no one is “moving in,” and I have to both get in and get in fast enough for those behind me. Sometimes I say, “Can you please move in?” with an edge to my voice. Occasionally, if no one is moving, I will say, “Okay then, please let me pass by, there are others behind me.”
I feel so angry when this happens. I resent everyone taking up space around me, the young men sitting with their legs spread wide, taking up extra seat room, the people with backpacks on, the person with iPod turned up so loud everyone can hear it. I get so mad! I think very mean thoughts.
If I’m already sitting, I am happy to tuck my bookbag and fiddle under the seat, happy to scooch over and make room, happy even to get up and let another person sit. I feel happy to be part of this crowd on the train, and magnanimous.
Plato’s quote hit me really hard. I know from teaching that even the worst, and even the quietest students have baggage I cannot imagine. I try to be aware of this, and be gentle when possible, and present and attentive always. It’s harder with strangers. It’s harder when I’m tired, when I’ve been working all day and on my way to my second or third job, carrying something uncomfortable, ankle throbbing.
And I’m mildly embarrassed to list all of those minor aches and discomforts that might somehow justify my selfish mindset.
If I wrote this quote on my hand tomorrow, and spent the rest of the day reminding myself with every human encounter, how would my movement through the world change?
I also wonder if I would have more kind self-thoughts, if had kinder thoughts for those around me. Does part of my impatient internal dialogue relate to the harsh expectations and impatience I have for myself?
I will try, for at least tomorrow, to keep in mind this:
Everyone around me is struggling in all kinds of ways, large and small, seen and unseen.
Whether I think of it as being patient with myself, or being patient with my brothers and sisters on this path… it bears reminding that my God is a God of great Mercy, and very endless Patience. Perhaps I will find my way more easily in my daily life if I keep attuned to this.
If we put all our troubles into a pile we would want our own troubles back, not someone else’s. This is not from me this is from Regina Brett who wrote a great book, “God Never Blinks.” It has 50 life lessons and the things that happened that caused her to learn them. We did it as a book study and it was fun. 50 little things you can read easily and quickly and then think about. I enjoyed it.