I have joked that the strongest weapon anyone can carry on their body is not a gun but rather a simple mirror. When you are presented with people who cannot see themselves, who continue to pose as something they are not, who are condescending and lack desire to actually 'hear' others. And at times the appropriate response would be for me to pull out the mirror--force them to see their reflection. And friends have responded, "But they will just check their hair and continue to spew their shallowness." . . . lol . . . (fair enough). And that may be true. But maybe, maybe it would be enough for the oblivious party to wake-up, to see beyond themselves, to be able to relate.
I have encountered two individuals who have amazed me in their indifference. Both expouse love, peace, that they are spiritual and if only others would adopt their beliefs. Both cling to their dogma, both throw their judgements at others and then continue to assert that they are compassionate. I am floored. I remain silent. I wonder about the sheer loneliness and amount of repression. To live in with such clear dislike for yourself--day in and day out--and to think others cannot see it. I wonder, makes me wonder to what lengths they have gone to--what machinations they force upon their minds that they arrive so far from honesty.
And then I return to where I am. The momentary lapse...no, not lapse. But I move away from that which is out of my control, back to how I choose to think about them. Acknowledge the frustration. Accept their condescending tone as their choice of action which I do not need to internalize and give value to. And breathe deeply. The questions to ask are not: How did they arrive there, orwhy are they that way, or what emotions they trigger in me. Rather, the question is, what have I learnt? And, can I apply this learning effectively in my life?
My hope is that each of us, in our own way and time, find our path to genuine and sincere internal peace. That this process and journey allows for experiencing all that we encounter in our lives and that we all develop an ability to remain with those experiences and are better for them.