How Others View us
By jxmartin
- 667 reads
How Others View Us.
I had an interesting exchange, with some warm-hearted people making comments about a fallen brother, the other day. It gave me pause to think. None of them had to offer such nice comments. They did so out of a genuine feeling of compassion for another human being whom they thought might be in some distress. It is a humbling and heart warming experience to receive such kindnesses from others.
It made me think of the sum and substance of who we are in this life. It appears not to matter what you may have done or accomplished after you are gone, but rather what you have done for others and how they perceive you. Money and possessions don’t seem to count for much in the opinion of many. Neither are the awards that you have won or the promotions that you have received.
The aggregate feelings toward you, by the many people that you have known through out your life, are a mosaic drawn from a life time of giving to others and the compassion that you may or may not have shown when some friend or colleague was in need of emotional support.
The good lord said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I see much wisdom and a caring for others in this simple directive. I might refine it a bit to “do unto others who need your help regardless of their ability to return the favor.”
We were taught such ideals when we were younger and less scarred by life’s abrasive demands. It is an instinct that all children possess naturally and only lose its ardor when life’s difficulties force them to start “looking out for their own first.”
I don’t know that there is a lesson here except to be compassionate whenever someone needs your help, even if it costs you in many ways. We are indeed the sum and substance of how we have acted towards others throughout the years. It is the measure of our humanity against which all other standards pale in comparison.
- Log in to post comments