The best teacher in the world

Have you ever considered that if God was a man... He would be the best in which ever profession he chose to be...

If he chooses to be a fighter, he would probably knock everyone out... If he was an actor, he would be the most handsome actor... If he was a singer, he would have the most beautiful voice... If he was a teacher, he would be able to teach the best lessons in the gentlest ways.. without hurting or humiliating his students...

God is the best teacher in the world...

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One month has passed since I gave my life to God... And he taught me so much... How?

By magically introducing two persons into my life... Both of which possessed half of my flaws... What I am trying to say is that... I have been living with so many character flaws all these years... but I have been totally unaware of these flaws because I am such a unique character that very little people possess my 'qualities'... It was thus impossible for me to watch and learn and improve... without having such people who mirror me...

But in just one month... God gave me two mirrors:

Person A - The perfectionist - unable to handle stress and responsibility... she turns into a mad dictator under stress... So concerned with completing the task at hand, she totally ignores the fact that humans have emotions too.. In fact, her heart is so tightly bounded (trying to protect herself from disappointment) that she is so void of human emotion and compassion... she has become insensitive and inhumane... Her kindness is reserved only for a select few - her family members... She has ceased to trust everyone else... She is fault-finding, vindictive and very very stingy...


Person B - Young, arrogant, low self-esteem... High tendency to hero-worship... Uses arrogance to mask her low self-esteem... Always offering advise to people she hardly knows... Even to people older and more experienced than her... thinking that she knows everything because of all the hardship she has been through... She is totally oblivious to the fact that suffering is present in everyone's life.. Not only her own... And people are wiser than she imagines... She talks down to everyone.. Throwing 'wise sounding' advise whenever given an opportunity... Not knowing that it is actually rude to advise a senior on such sensitive matters of the heart... She jumps at every opportunity to help people... but end up irritating them instead...

She forgets that when trying to treat the broken hearts of others, extreme sensitivity and patience is required... She simplifies everything and throws out text book suggestions... Thus hurting the people she wants to help more... She tends to be attention seeking and unconcern of other people's impression of her... In her mind, she thinks "If they are so mean and vindictive, they are not worthy friends anyway." She forgets that good people take many forms... And some good people may have pet peeves.. and one of the pet peeves might include childishness... So, if you have that kind of mindset, you have just forsaken that large chunk of nice people...

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It is amazing... How I was so severely irritated with these two persons... I found myself at the edge of murdering them... I complained about them to my poor mummy whenever I got the opportunity... All until one fine day... It dawned upon me... I AM JUST LIKE THEM... AHHHH!!!!!!!

So, all this while I have been such a unlikeable character and no one told me!! Wait a minute, they did try to tell me, I just wasn't listening!

Now that I know how irritating I can be, I feel so grateful to all my training mates and friends who were able to love me despite all my craziness... And more importantly, I am so humbled... I know that I have no right to be angry with all the things I was angry with them for.. Because all these while, they have been tolerating my nonsense...

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These days, I have become more careful with what I say... I try to catch my mean, sarcastic hurtful remarks before they leave my mouth... But I must say, I am still quite new with it... Sometimes the words leave my mouth and I find myself regretting it.. But at least now I am aware of the damage I have caused... In the past, I am totally oblivious and I get surprised when people start treating me badly...

Hello, who can I blame when people treat me badly after I have hurt them so much?!?

Wake up call...


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Advise to the persons A and B in me:

Person A - Needs to love people more... Learn to be more generous and less sensitive... People are not talking bad about you... Have a better opinion of yourself... This will develop into a better opinion of others... Be more focused on people... Do not be so task orientated... Must prioritize the feelings of others at all times... And most importantly, RELAX... when you are stressed out, you become a monster, really fierce, emotionless and UGLY...

Person B - Advise is a dangerous gift... Give it only when people ask for your opinion.. And even then, do it very tactfully and carefully... Offering advise has the effect of elevating yourself and demeaning others.. (if it is done badly)... Thus, if you are generally not good with your words, do not offer advise.. you are ruining relationships...

There are other ways of building relationships.. Talk about inconsequential things (like music, movies)... And when you are really close, you can start talking about more sensitive things... Either way, do not be too keen to help.. People do not like to be disturbed.. Learn to respect their personal space... Do not SMS or email them too frequently, you will make them obliged to respond out of courtesy... They will become so tired and thus, dislike you even more...

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Good thing is.. though Person A and Person B are completely different people and I do find them irritating at times, I cannot deny the fact that their irritating characteristics are derivatives of a heart of love... They love too much... And that has transformed them to what they have become... So despite my initial irritation with them, I find myself more and more determined to love them...

I am immensely irritated.... and at the same time, I am touched... And at the same time, I am challenged... I must say, such people are rare... And just a few days with them, you learn so much... not about yourself, but about humans on a whole... About how great we really are...

Both persons A and B have circles of friends who are deeply in love with them... Who are able to put up with their atypical behaviors... Why do they do that? Because of love...

I respect humans so much more now...