according to jim is not exactly a show I regularly follow. however, in an episode a while ago, something very interesting was said:
"kids see everything as perfect, then they grow up and we teach them to see faults"
isn't that true? as kids we always thought everything was so good and great, that our parents were absolutely perfect and flawless, and that there was nothing evil in this world (except our siblings, of course). but then what happened?
we must practice seeing only good in people, for evil is nothing but the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. if we look only upon the evil, the non-existing, we will not have trained our eyes to see anything in the next world. we will be looking for things that do not exist!
I found quite many quotations from the Baha'i Writings about this topic. I think they're all interesting, so here they are:
"All religions teach that we should love one another; that we should seek out our own shortcomings before we presume to condemn the faults of others..."
"It is my hope that you may consider this matter, that you may search out your own imperfections and not think of the imperfections of anybody else. Strive with all your power to be free from imperfections. Heedless souls are always seeking faults in others. What can the hypocrite know of others' faults when he is blind to his own?"
"How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me."
"Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness."
"...and magnify not the faults of others that thine own faults may not appear great; and wish not the abasement of anyone, that thine own abasement be not exposed."
"If the fire of self overcome you, remember your own faults and not the faults of My creatures, inasmuch as every one of you knoweth his own self better than he knoweth others."
"Whenever you recognize the fault of another, think of yourself! What are my imperfections? -- and try to remove them. Do this whenever you are tried through the words or deeds of others. Thus you will grow, become more perfect. You will overcome self, you will not even have time to think of the faults of others..."
"... because the most hateful characteristic of man is fault-finding."
"We must be patient with each other, and realize that each one of us has some faults to overcome, of one kind or another."
so how then should we be? the answer: encouraging!
"We must be patient with each other’s shortcomings, and always strive to create love and unity..."
"... encourage [them] to do their utmost to achieve their goals..."
"... encourage them to carry forward the work with even greater energy than before."
"When training and encouragement are effective, a culture of growth is nourished..."
this is something I know I really have to work on. I'm not good at being encouraging, but instead have a tendency to do and say what I shouldn't. in every situation there's the choice of either seeing someone's faults, or instead being overlooking and encouraging. it's a difficult choice, but if the right one is made, I think a lot of progress can be made. it starts with self-awareness.
and as for the kids:
"Encourage the children from their earliest years to master every kind of learning, and make them eager to become skilled in every art..."
"...encourage the child to acquire perfections and goodly manners, warn him against unbecoming qualities, and encourage him to show forth resolve, firmness, and endurance under hardship, and to advance on the high road to progress."
"kids see everything as perfect, then they grow up and we teach them to see faults"
isn't that true? as kids we always thought everything was so good and great, that our parents were absolutely perfect and flawless, and that there was nothing evil in this world (except our siblings, of course). but then what happened?
we must practice seeing only good in people, for evil is nothing but the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. if we look only upon the evil, the non-existing, we will not have trained our eyes to see anything in the next world. we will be looking for things that do not exist!
I found quite many quotations from the Baha'i Writings about this topic. I think they're all interesting, so here they are:
"All religions teach that we should love one another; that we should seek out our own shortcomings before we presume to condemn the faults of others..."
"It is my hope that you may consider this matter, that you may search out your own imperfections and not think of the imperfections of anybody else. Strive with all your power to be free from imperfections. Heedless souls are always seeking faults in others. What can the hypocrite know of others' faults when he is blind to his own?"
"How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me."
"Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness."
"...and magnify not the faults of others that thine own faults may not appear great; and wish not the abasement of anyone, that thine own abasement be not exposed."
"If the fire of self overcome you, remember your own faults and not the faults of My creatures, inasmuch as every one of you knoweth his own self better than he knoweth others."
"Whenever you recognize the fault of another, think of yourself! What are my imperfections? -- and try to remove them. Do this whenever you are tried through the words or deeds of others. Thus you will grow, become more perfect. You will overcome self, you will not even have time to think of the faults of others..."
"... because the most hateful characteristic of man is fault-finding."
"We must be patient with each other, and realize that each one of us has some faults to overcome, of one kind or another."
so how then should we be? the answer: encouraging!
"We must be patient with each other’s shortcomings, and always strive to create love and unity..."
"... encourage [them] to do their utmost to achieve their goals..."
"... encourage them to carry forward the work with even greater energy than before."
"When training and encouragement are effective, a culture of growth is nourished..."
this is something I know I really have to work on. I'm not good at being encouraging, but instead have a tendency to do and say what I shouldn't. in every situation there's the choice of either seeing someone's faults, or instead being overlooking and encouraging. it's a difficult choice, but if the right one is made, I think a lot of progress can be made. it starts with self-awareness.
and as for the kids:
"Encourage the children from their earliest years to master every kind of learning, and make them eager to become skilled in every art..."
"...encourage the child to acquire perfections and goodly manners, warn him against unbecoming qualities, and encourage him to show forth resolve, firmness, and endurance under hardship, and to advance on the high road to progress."
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