Saturday, August 13, 2011

Everyone has skeletons in the closet

There seems to be a formula in life that looks something like this: “the louder a person decries the behavior of another, the greater the chances are that there are skeletons in their closet.”
When a person uses their energies to demagogue the immorality and inferiority of other people’s lives, it seems that it will eventually be inevitable that their own cracks in their armor will be glaringly brought to light.
We all have cracks in our armor. We all have skeletons in our closets. And yet, most of us at one point or another have probably felt compelled to shine the spotlight on someone else’s dark corner of the room. There is a reason someone said “people in glass houses shouldn’t  throw stones.” I am dismayed to say that in the past I have flipped on the proverbial flood light, or picked up stones during my life. Those are never our finest moments, so why do we all do it? There could be many reasons. But one could be that it is much easier to tear another down than to do the work to elevate our own thoughts and behaviors.
We are all so fragile in many ways. We are all riding the waves of our own cognitive dissonance--trying to maintain balance and not be enveloped by the pull of the undertow.
I just found a quote that ties in perfectly with this post, and I am thankful that I ran across it at my friend's blog.


"Remember that the first step is not to speak ill of others. All human beings have weaknesses and faults. They have their imperfections. Therefore, before trying to find faults in others and speaking ill of them, try to find your own weaknesses and correct those." 

2 comments:

  1. I found this page via Google. I was looking for the phrase, "Everyone has skeletons in the closet." Though I was seeking material unrelated to LGBT issues, yours hits home: Some good friends of mine, two gay men married in Iowa, have experienced the predictable harassment and alienation. Although I'm heterosexual, whether or not people of the same sex get married is none of my (or anyone else's)damn business. Too bad all those homophobic conservatives don't leave you alone and turn to the real threats to marriage: domestic violence, unemployment, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm glad you found your way here S.T. and I appreciate your rational and reasonable articulation on these themes.
    Well said.

    ReplyDelete