We were pointing out the flaws of our neighbors, colleagues,
the people around us generally, and we enjoyed every bit of the conversation.
It felt so good talking about people, criticizing, scrutinizing and analyzing
their flaws, their strengths, their weaknesses. We had really strong and
interesting opinion about them and the kind of lifestyle we perceive they live.
We made it our business, and in such situations, one seldom see or opine
anything good about their subject. We laughed so hard and heartily, saw the
wrong side to virtually everything they did and in a way, designed a kind of
life we expect them to live, and in that seemingly amazing moment,
one of us
popped the question: “why don’t we talk about ourselves in the same light as we
talk about these people? Let us look at ourselves in same light as we do these
people now, in this moment, and let us point out our flaws, because we are
obviously not perfect.”
And in that moment when that statement was made, our mood,
our countenance changed. All of a sudden, we had nothing to talk about. All of
a sudden, we all became mute and an uneasy feeling became prominent. In that
moment, the unconsciousness of our imperfection became a conscious and
predominant thought, a reality staring us in our faces, wanting for our action.
The holy bible tells to remove the speck of sand, the tiny
dust in our eyes, before looking to see or even remove the log of wood in our
brother’s eyes. The holy book also tells us to be our brother’s keeper and to
love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It is quite easy for us to point out
the fault of the next person and let our wrong doings slide. We try to justify
ourselves, our sentimental and biased opinion about ourselves, about our
actions and inactions, but not that of our neighbor. In our head, deep in our
minds, there is a way we expect people to act and behave. We have a strong
opinion about the way people act and behave, about the way they should act and
behave. Yet, we seldom call ourselves to order. We neglect our wrongdoings even
when it is obvious. We excuse our irresponsibility as mistakes. Even though we
claim to be religious, we claim to be dedicated, we claim to know love, to live
love, to preach love, we do not understand love. We dish out advice as though
we are a citadel of wisdom, but we wallow in shallowness, in ignorance and in
pretense. We live in fallacy. We excuse our blunders, claim to see or perceive
our irresponsibility as “one of those things that happen in life”. We say
‘everyone does it’, but when ‘every other person’ actually do it, we see it as
an abomination.
If I love you and then watch you act improperly,
uncoordinated and I do not call you to order, call your attention to what I
think you are doing that is perceived generally, as improper, then my love for
you is only but a claim. It means that I do not have the slightest idea of what
it means to love. The holy book says, “who God loves, He chastises”. And if we
claim to love, whether as a believer or not, but because we believe in love,
and by implication we believe in God, because God is love. Let us then act like
our creator, because we are made in His likeness and CHASTIZE the one who we
LOVE, which by implication, is everyone. For we are commanded to love our
neighbor as we love ourselves, why would we want to hurt our neighbor. If we
won’t want to be nor like to be negatively condemned, why then would we, should
we or do we derive pleasure in negatively condemning our neighbor. If I love
you, I will condemn what I perceive as negative that you do, not behind you,
but to your knowledge, with live. Therefore, let us be encouraged, to LOVE,
JUST BECAUSE. Let us try to focus on better us; right our wrongs,
correct with love.
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