February 21, 2008

A wise man once said …

“The reality of the other person lies not in what he reveals to you, but what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says, but rather to what he does not say.” Kahlil Gibran

Throughout life, we have events and circumstances that alter the course of our existence. Some are good, some are bad. The good ones keep us propelled in the right direction, always striving for the next great adventure and happy moment. The misfortunes become lessons learned.

For some, those lessons are traumatic, either physically or emotionally, and we can’t expect them to be the same people they were before these circumstances took place. Look at our soldiers home from war. Look at the children who are victims of societal abuse. Look at the men and women who are now domestic abuse cases. These people once looked through the same rose colored glasses we did, and for some, still are. They may be more pessimistic, cynical, withdrawn.

Are we to judge them as people we don’t want to be around because their lives are converse to our own? That they will drag us down with them? Or do we get to know them better, gain their confidences and trust, and allow them to regain some of what they have lost?

That is a personal choice. For me, I will unequivocally take the second road, because I know what it’s like to be on the other end. A song by James Taylor comes to mind, “You’ve Got a Friend”, … “winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call, and I’ll be there, yeah yeah yeah, you’ve got a friend.”

Think about your position in life, are you the Judge, or the Friend?

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|  Printable version | Posted in poli-socio rants | Tags: complacency, friendship, life, philosophy, poli-socio rants, ponder.