Day 35: March 5
The thought for the day is UNDERSTANDING.
I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure that you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. – Robert McCloskey
The word ‘understanding’ means, literally, “to stand among or in the midst of.” It is “knowing thoroughly by having close contact or long experience with; a disposition to appreciate the feelings and thoughts of others; compassionate.”
Understanding comes from observation, earnest listening, and the knowledge gleaned from taking the time to enter into meaningful conversation with others. We cannot truly understand someone with whom we’ve never had a real conversation about anything beyond small talk.
I recall a couple I knew as a young adult; they were acquaintances of mine – about my parents’ age - who lived an affluent lifestyle. They always seemed sort of snobbish and unfriendly to me. I remember not liking them very much at the time. I found out a number of years later that they and their family had gone through some very difficult struggles and they weren’t being snobbish, they were just physically drained from all the stress they felt.. I felt ashamed that I hadn’t taken the time to discover that. I had wrongly judged them.
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding about ourselves. – Carl Jung
Understanding self is just as important as understanding others. Other people sometimes act as a mirror for us. Too often, we project on to them things we don’t’ like about ourselves. We may see a quality in them that we know we have and magnify it out of proportion because it resonates with something inside of us in a negative way. Knowing this gives us the chance to pause, step back, and assess things with greater understanding.
Today, I take time to watch and listen to others as I try my best to understand them. By doing this, I can develop greater compassion for them and possibly learn how I can best Be Love for them. I also take time to examine myself when I am find another particularly challenging. Perhaps there is something in myself that I am projecting on to them that needs to be addressed.
breathe Peace ~
Rev. Rebecca
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