Even at age 61½ years, I’m not too old to learn and change. Last Monday evening I returned home from Melbourne following my mother-in-law’s funeral last Sunday. For me, that weekend and the preceding few days were life-changing. At least I hope they’ll be. In that period I’ve learned about what it means, and takes, to be a big person: to be understanding of others and their limitations, to forgive them, to be more accommodating and less critical. Oh I knew all of that before. But I didn’t put it into action much. I was all too quick to judge. Several things, I think, made me want to change: Reading Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus got me started. Then on YouTube, I watched for the first time, Barack Obama's election acceptance speech in which he was exceptionally, and genuinely, gracious to Senator McCain. Then in Melbourne I witnessed Sweetheart Vivienne’s determination to establish her mother’s true legacy; her father’s love towards everyone despite his major personal loss; and how openly and demonstrably emotional ordinarily unemotional folk were. Sure, there are people out there who are malevolent or otherwise ill-intentioned. But from now on, I aim to view and treat all well-intentioned people benevolently and respectfully. That is, to recognise they’re doing the best they can with the resources they have. That’s the least I can do.
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