The other day I was getting a pedicure. There was a woman, sitting next to me, getting a pedicure, as well. She was speaking very loudly on her cell phone to someone who was obviously not getting their fair share of speaking time. This woman barely took a breath, as she barked forcefully into her phone for everyone in the whole salon to be privy to her conversation, whether we wanted to be or not. I became an eavesdropper by involuntary default.
The basis of this woman’s one-sided conversation, more like a spotlighted soliloquy, was all about how enlightened she was and how she hoped the rest of the world would get on board and move on up the scale of enlightenment, with her. The woman referenced Dr. Phil a lot. She then started complaining about a friend who didn’t give her enough “likes” on Facebook and the shining moment came when she stopped mid-sentence to shout at the technician, who was doing her pedicure, to stop rubbing her feet so hard. If this is “enlightenment”, the world really is in trouble.
I started feeling very annoyed, and then I could feel myself climbing on to my judgmental pedestal. This woman was rude, inconsiderate, selfish, gossipy, out-of-touch, loud, obnoxious and not at all enlightened. I started feeling like I was the arbiter of enlightenment and I had to bite my tongue not to put her back down in her place, to her base level on the spiritual growth chart. But then, I had one of those dawning a-ha moments when I put the spotlight back onto myself. How many times had I spoken too loudly on my phone, sometimes even in close quarters like elevators and waiting rooms? How many times had I been on the phone when someone was waiting on me, telling myself that a quick “sorry” was enough to excuse my thoughtless, impersonal behavior? How many times had I dominated conversations, rudely interrupting my friends and family, because I deemed what I was saying to be so much more “enlightened and important” than what they had to say? How many times had I felt annoyed or slighted when I didn’t get someone’s approval?
This self-awareness movement that we have going on in the world right now, is tough. But the funny thing about the situation is that when I put the focus back onto myself (and the only person I actually have any ability to change), I got a different perspective about the woman in the salon and the whole experience. I actually felt sort of grateful towards her for making me get a better understanding of areas where I could improve myself and my relationships. Wow – things that make you go “Hmmmm.”
“People are quick to judge others’ faults, but never quick to point out their own.” – PictureQuotes.com
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” – Mother Theresa
“Be curious, not judgmental.” – Walt Whitman