The great Chinese sage Mencius* had a lesson amid his myriad of knowledge, that in the course of one's life, one will meet many teachers but not many students. The point being that many people tend to tell others what is right but hypocritically lacking the ability to listen and improve themselves when good advice is given to them. The implications of such an inability to see one's self as nothing more than a personal ideal, being that it will delay or even stop one's ability towards becoming a more 'enlightened' person morally or materially. This being today's topic of discussion.
To begin, the author is relatively sure that all who read this have met a person who spouts inspirational quotes and how he/she was inspired by it. Yet to you and the rest of the world, the person is not only lacking the quote's inspirational quality but rather is the product of what would happen if one does not apply the lesson of the quote in one's own life. Defined is the fact that all of us does not want to be the person just described. The solution being simply to understand and admit truthfully who or what one is to the the world around, including importantly flaws. For if one is able to see oneself as the world sees him/herself, one can then take the steps necessary to either improving on a flaw or use it to one's advantage. Which is impossible if one is only ever able to see one's own strengths (real or perceived) and nothing else.
To use his own person as a example, the author admits that he is not the most inspirational person when looked upon financially and career wise. This is important as by accepting this fact and through good criticism from trusted friends, the author is able to improve his financial situation in a more effective way than if he was deluded in his own fantasy, such as investing in super risky investment plans or putting down all his money into Poker.
To further the point, the author's own most glaring flaw is an inability to not comment on a situation which one sees as a issue that needs improving on. Unlike most that tend to wait for the 'right' moment to act, this understood 'impatience' leads the author to find support almost straightaway from others to try to force a situation where the problem can be brought up or solved in the shortest time possible. Such as in one's personal experience, bringing up the hard question of having a person removed from a group of a hobby of the author's. Whose presence one found out, no one particularly appreciated. Basically one's acceptance that he has this inability to keep quiet on a situation leads him to plan a solution (Not always successful), that tries to solve the problem quickly rather than bear the alternative of a disastrous solution that will come out in a confrontational sudden burst of awkwardness if left unchecked.
One uses himself as the above examples as it would be unfair and hypocritical to this post to comment on another's flaws without commenting on his own. The simple fact is, if a person is able to accept the fact that a majority of people see said person as a fool then he is probably a fool and the sooner he realises that, the better. One is not calling anyone reading this blog a fool but the hardest application of the solution posted in this blog is the admittance of the flaws that one finds hardest to admit the world sees in one's own person.
Till next world...
*The link is to a animated list of Mencius core works (those with Book 1A, etc) told with English subtitles.
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