ayushi
How is it to look at ourselves from a distance? How is it like to be our own critic? Are we capable of honest criticism?
Gabriel Marcel once said, “Contemplation and wisdom are the highest achievements and man is not totally at home with them”.
We don’t like judgments. When someone criticizes us, we tend to switch to defensive mode. The worst thing we possess as humans is our ego. An entity that does not let us rectify our mistakes.
You said something bad to your colleague or friend. That voice within you constantly tells you to apologize, to tell her that you are having a bad day. But what you exactly do? Instead of apologizing, you try to justify your act.
Whenever I search for a way to help overcome ego and learn humility, I see a common suggestion. The suggestion is to learn the art of contemplation.
So what exactly is contemplation? According to me, contemplation is when you see your life in an incognito mode. In an incognito mode, you know what you have to search but the results are untouched. Every. Single. Time.
So, I adopted this method where at the end of the day, I sit and try to look at the past events of the day and see where did I fall and where did I act right. Sometimes, the bad side rules over the good one. Well, we all have demons within us and we often unleash them. Contemplation helps me fragment the events and look at the point when things go worse.
If I find myself responsible for a mishappening or a misbehavior, I scold myself and make a note of apologizing to the person I did wrong to. The person might not forgive you but at least, your effort and apology will be genuine. It will serve as a lesson for you to not to make the mistake again.
This is just one instance. Once you start contemplating on a regular basis, you will be able to enjoy the small moments of your life. You will realize how effective one smile, how futile being cunning is. In short, you will start appreciating the things you usually take for granted.
One major thing that contemplation does for you is to make you humble. A humble person will always strive to make people around him/her happy. The “props” they will use will be anything but materialistic. Contemplation shows you the gift you already possess, the gift of humility.
So, have you ever looked at your life in an incognito mode?
