We spoke at the previous article about “Now” and the importance of taking actual steps to start working on what we want to achieve, with no hesitations, as it is never too late. We demonstrate that among these steps is choosing what one desires to achieve success that he seeks and discover his hidden talents as it is never too late.
Now, one can also start to develop his weak points as there is no one without mistakes or demerits. There is another sort of people who tries to evaluate oneself and develops his traits to the best. While there are people who lead their lives ignoring their weak points trying to escape from them! Another sort of people gets busy dwelling on, but also aggrandizing other people’s shortcomings. He keeps speaking about them so that he can find some rest and inner peace as though having these feelings makes him whisper to himself, “You are not the only one who has shortcomings, but you are so much better than so many people who have lots of shortcomings”.
This is how his life goes on: evaluating people’s ideas, beliefs and behaviors, with no right, ignoring to think of himself!!
“Ismā’īl ibn Qāsim Abū l-ʻAtāhiyya” tackled this sort of people saying,
You, the one who find faults with others,
while exceeding are his faults
How much defects do you have!
yet with others do you still find faults!
Some also refuse to acknowledge their weak points and this is the most difficult type of people! Their rejection to acknowledge their faults will never give them the chance to correct them! How a terminal illness can be healed without acknowledging its existence!
Acknowledging that there is a weakness at someone’s personality is the first step to correct it. Refusing to acknowledge this will aggravate the problem, so much that his weak points will be weaker and they will lead him to adopt a frame of mind that searches for excuses for himself in negligence or wrong actions of others. Undoubtedly the consequences of this will be destroying his relationship with others and ultimately losing them.
Therefore, if a person does not know his defects, yet finds them at those around him, he has to realize that he is committing a horrible mistake!! As they say: “One who dwells on the defects of others will unknowingly have multitude of them” Let us all begin to look for an honest assessment of ourselves so that we can achieve more success in our lives.
Be honest with yourself, accept it, and change what you don’t like in it: it allows you to achieve more progress, interact positively and in a balanced way at many of your life situations and all your interactions with others. Start now with yourself as it will be the only one to be held accountable, and it is your only companion along your whole life journey.
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
