Monday, December 16, 2013

Contemplative Monday


The following quote is from 'Heart Advice, Weekly Quotes From Pema Chodron'. (click)

MIRROR IMAGES


"I try to practice what I preach; I'm not always that good at it but I really do try.


The other night, I was getting hard-hearted, close-minded, and fundamentalist about


something else, and I remembered this expression that you can never hate somebody


if you stand in their shoes.


I was angry at him because he was holding such a rigid view.


In that instant I was able to put myself in his shoes and I realized, 


'I was just as riled up, and self-righteous and closed-minded about this as he is,
We're in exactly the same place!'


And I saw that the more I held on to my view, the more polarized we would become, 


and the more we'd be just mirror images of one another----


two people with closed minds and hard hearts who both think they're right,


screaming at each other.


It changed for me when I saw it from his side,
and I was able to see my own aggression  and ridiculousness."



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