"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds." That is a quote by Saint Basil. I didn't even know there was a Saint Basil until I read his quote. There was more to the quote than this, but I decided to distill it a bit. He was getting a bit wordy.
Sometimes, words aren't necessary. Sometimes, they are. Wisdom comes in knowing the difference. Oftentimes people look at a man and make a judgement from what they see. While it's understandable, sometimes there is rot below the veneer. Other times a battered exterior covers over the spirit of a warrior. If you really want to know a man, or anybody really, watch what they do. Not what they do in front of the person they want to impress, but what they do when they think nobody is watching. A man's private actions never lie. A picture can be photo-shopped, a tale of daring can be exaggerated. What a man does when he thinks he is unobserved is the best way to judge his character. I have met many people over the years. Usually, you don't learn about a person until they let you in...they let you see a little part of their private life. No, I don't mean they friend you on Facebook. That is usually just more phony stuff. I mean that they introduce you to a family member or have you over the house or something like that. Oftentimes, the insights you get into their character will amaze you. Sometimes, when a person has invited me into their lives, I see them looking at me, as if I am going to find them wanting or something. I never find this is the case, though. Insights into someone's true self are almost always interesting to me. In truth, I find no one is really the public persona they try to portray. Tough guys are often very gentle with their children. Needy women are usually strong for their families. What does it mean? We all try, to some extent, to be someone we aren't. No one wants their true selves to be laughed at or mocked. Thus, they put up a phony front hat makes the hit to their self-esteem softer if they are ever confronted. If anyone ever calls you their friend, and then invites you into their lives, I recommend taking up the offer. You'll get to see who they truly are...and you'll be able to tell from their actions who they truly are. There is one exception to this rule though. If the person is interested in you for romantic reasons, then its likely you won't truly get a chance to see who they really are. That will likely take time since they will keep that mask on longer to protect their ego. That's about it for this post. It actually went into a totally different direction that what I originally imagined when I sat down to write this post.
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