Here’s one of my favorite parables (I’m not actually certain it’s a parable, technically):
If you go out into the world and happen to run into an asshole, you just met an asshole.
If during your travels, you run into 30 assholes, you’re the asshole.
I used to work with this woman who thought the world was out to get her on a daily basis. She complained about people, judged others, and gossiped constantly.
Each week, it seemed like something wildly unfortunate and unfair would happen to her. This confused me until I realized an odd, almost spiritual truth:
The world is what we think it is.
Whether we see life as a gift or as a burden, it all comes from within.
I used to think people sucked. And lo and behold, they did.
But once I started working on myself, improving my life, and seeing people as fascinating…they became much more lovely.
It’s all one big self-fulfilling prophecy.