yesterday, i interacted with a few people that each exemplified the traits of the other.
i recently switched jobs. i am now inching my way into being a server for one of my favorite restaurants in the cities.
but. as we all know. being a novice generally means you fuck up. a decent amount.
and its frustrating. there’s no doubt. its hard to completely grasp why someone can’t just get to the place we are. do their blunders illustrate their competency? well no, but sometimes its hard to remember that and realize that there are different ways to deal with people who make mistakes.
and while we all know this. while we know that the appropriate way to approach people is with consideration and understanding, its so easy to be judgmental. and to openly show this judgement.
tempting as it may be to ridicule, to put into words how shocked you are that someone else doesn’t grasp something as great as you do. to take their errors as reflection of who you aren’t.
mockery is damaging. if not for the mocked, then surely for the mocker.
there is no quicker way to damage a relationship than attempting to humiliate someone.
and this is what i realized last night.
while i have always understood this sentiment. obvious as it is. there was something about last night that clarified the importance of this understanding.
at the same moment that i had a ridiculer shitting on my existence, there was another person regarding every embarrassing mistake i made with a nonchalant shrug. fixing whatever trivial matter i had wound myself in. and simply suggesting the better approach.
the difference between how i felt at the end of the night because of this individual was shocking. their composure allowed me to find my own and disregard the animosity of the mocker.
and this whole scenario made me wonder if all it really takes is one considerate person to change an entire situation.
this is so simple. and so easy.
and i think it might be true.
no matter how many awful mistakes we make. having another person remind us that its not that bad, that the world will go on, and that youll do better next time.
is monumental.
its small. requires little effort.
but its one of the most significant realizations ive stumbled upon in the last couple of weeks.
and it reminded me. as these realizations always do. the extent to which we affect each other. the way we are inevitably tangled within another. our dramatic interconnection.
we exist as we do as a direct result of everyone else’s existence.
and remembering this is pertinent to living well.
to grow within ourselves and the world around us.
and as we remember how much we affect those we place ourselves around, we can seize this distinct opportunity we have to influence their lives in a fashion that reflects goodness.
we all appreciate consideration.
and understanding this might remind us to grant others the same courtesy.
