DAY 64 – PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
I am sitting in a high school classroom with other students watching the news on television. After the program ended the teacher asks us what is the underlying theme in the news stories and the answers are all the same, problems exist in the world and sometimes someone comes along to help remedy the situation. The teacher then added one aspect to the stories that no one had a deeper grasp of, there are human beings on the receiving end of the actions of others and they may become affected by how they are treated.
As we continued to discuss this it soon became evident that every human being during the course of his or her life has their own negative and deflating experiences of not being treated as they want to be along with the positive and uplifting aspect of being treated well. All of these different kinds of experiences fill in the pages of each person’s life story that ultimately play an important role in how each of us thinks, feels and acts. Whether it is psychological and emotional pain or personal enjoyment and happiness, we are to a certain extent a by product of personal experiences.
Too often people act and react without taking into consideration how their words and behaviors affect other people. Does something you do make someone afraid instead of at ease. Does something you say create a reaction of anger instead of peaceful feelings. Do your words bring someone to tears instead of laughter. Our words and actions should contribute to bringing out the best in others and not create inner turmoil.
When we talk about personal experiences we need to think about it from the perspective of another person and what kind of impact it will have on that on that person. Each of us needs to be cognizant that certain words and actions can be damaging to another person’s psychological and emotional well-being and could, to their detriment, negatively alter how they go about living their life. No one wants to be mistreated and fully understanding how demeaning words and inconsiderate actions can be harmful to someone gives us the starting point of what never to do.
A mature person also understands what happens when they treat someone well. Showing kindness, consideration and respect enhances another person’s sense of self. Giving encouragement and consistently treating others well, especially the people we love, enables others to feel comfortable and at ease so they do not have to hide what they enjoy doing and can freely say what they believe in. Helping someone in their time of need can relieve the stress often associated with problematic situations. Each of us has a role to play in the lives of other people and that role needs to be one that is life enhancing and improves their lives.
Later that night I reflected back upon the discussion in class and I now realize that when I interact with someone I need to be aware of what I say and do because that can affect what people go through in their daily lives. My words and actions are at the center of whether I lift others up to greater heights or lower them down into an internal disharmony.