Teach the Soul

People see only what they are prepared to see.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803 – 1852

Every now and then, the daily comic strips offer some wonderful insights about life. A few years ago, the strip “For Better or Worse” contained a very good lesson.

“For Better or Worse” is about a typical middle income family and the everyday problems they encounter. This particular installment was about the young son, who appeared to be roughly ten years old.

The first frame showed the young boy venting to his classmate. “I missed recess and I had to write lines and I’m never coming back to school. NEVER.”

In the second frame, he continues: “I got kicked out of library and I hate my teacher ’cause it’s all HER fault!”

His friend asks, “Why?”

The answer? “She caught me mashing spitballs in the dictionary.”

Children can be so open and honest, making it easy to see the errors in their thinking. The young boy wasn’t sorry for his mistake; he was angry about getting caught and being punished.

It seems like every week or so, there’s a news story about some politician, business executive, sports star, or celebrity getting caught in a questionable situation and reacting just like the young boy: they seem upset about being caught rather than being sorry for their actions.

As long as the young boy is angry with his teacher, do you think he’ll have a learning experience? I doubt it. When something goes wrong, most of us react by looking for someone to blame. And once we have someone to blame, we feel the issue is resolved. We no longer have to deal with the problem.

The next time you find yourself in a situation like that, stop and ask yourself a few questions. Am I upset with my actions, or with my actions being questioned? What good will come from blaming someone else for this situation? What can or should I do differently to avoid this problem in the future?

The more honest you are about your contribution to your circumstances, the better your chances of changing them. Learn from your mistakes so you don’t end up repeating them.

Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.
Sigmund Freud
1856 – 1939