Everybody is always doing their best……
…….based on the summation of their life experiences to date
I have discussed this with many people, and the most common reactions are based on only listening to the first part of the sentence
Once someone starts to hear and comprehend the entire sentence their view starts to change
This can take quite a while! And most people fight acceptance of the simple truth in the words
It may not be easy to accept!
We all have strong reactions to certain behaviours, and it is easy to judge someone as not doing their best. “But, they do know better”, is a common response I receive when explaining the above
That may very well be true, but based on ALL their experience of life, at that particular time, and in those particular circumstances, they could only conclude with one action
My experience
In my case I found this easy to accept in others, including considering ‘criminal’ acts, and the like. This does not mean I agree with everything that people do. It simply means that I respect that their life experience has led them to performing a particular act at a particular time
What we are continually exposed to, ultimately becomes ‘normal’ and ‘acceptable’ to us. This includes negative influences such as an ‘every man for himself’ culture, bullying, sensationalised news stories, and ‘badass’ video games
The more exposure you have to this negativity, the easier you find it to carry these acts yourself, even if you ‘know better’
Native American Indian Prayer
I feel the all the above is beautifully summarised in the following, very simple Native American Indian Prayer:
“Oh, Great Spirit, Grant That I May Not Criticize My Neighbor Until I Have Walked A Mile in His moccasins”
“Everybody is always doing their best” includes you!!
The more I came to accept that everyone is actually doing their best, the more I started to realise that maybe I have always done my best!
This is when I stopped ‘beating myself up’ for ‘mistakes’ I had made in my past
If you are the type that does the same, then maybe it is time to stop?
Afterall, YOU have always done your best, based on the summation of your life experiences to date…….
Haven’t you?
Respect for yourself
The above leads neatly in to respect for yourself. Follow the link here