It's really tough breaking those old habits.
I'm sitting in my room in one of the two nun's dormitories at the Pure Land College Association in Toowoomba. Outside my window, I can see the mist and slight drizzle that we've had since this morning. Periodically we've had some rain as well.
When the main gate is closed at lunchtime, people come and go using the walkway and gate in front of our house. My room is at the front of the house, so I look out on the walkway and the street. And as longer-term readers know, I do tend to look out the window when thinking. Or when I'm distracted from my work. ;-)
I just noticed a young woman walking out. She was carrying an umbrella, but wearing plastic slip-ons like you wear at the beach, not closed shoes. I immediately thought, "She'll get her feet wet. And in this chilly weather she could get sick."
Then it quickly occurred to me that I had worn sandals to lunch.
Oops.
Ah! But I had a good reason. I only go about eight paces until I'm under cover and remain so the rest of the way to the dining hall. So I'm perfectly justified. She's not.
Sigh.
Thank goodness, all this silliness only took a few seconds before I caught myself.
But this is what we do all the time. Find fault with what others are doing. If we happen to notice that we do the same thing, we quickly justify our own behavior. I have a good reason. Clearly the other person does not. I know what I’m doing, the other person doesn’t. I’m right, they’re wrong.
We do this all the time: observing, differentiating, criticizing, judging. Imagine how much more pleasant it would be to just clearly observe and stop there. Or at least observe clearly and think something pleasant.
As in, “Wow! Like the hot pink slip-ons!”