Saturday, June 04, 2005

Lessons from Fiorina(5th June 2005)

Today I read an inspiring article in the Sunday Times, the most rousing excerpt of which is as follows:

"..When you challenge other people's of who or how you should be, they may try to diminish and disgrace you.

You can spend a lifetime resenting the tests, angry about the slights and injustices. Or, you can rise above it.

People's ideas and fears can make them small- but they cannot make you small. People's prejudices can diminish them- but they cannot diminish you.

Small-minded people can think they determine your worth. But only you can determine your worth.

At every step along the way, your soul will be tested. Every test you pass will make you stronger.

But let's not be naive. Sometimes, there are consequences to staying true to what you believe. But as long as you understand the consequences and accept the consequences, you are not only stronger as a result, you're more at peace."

This portion of the speech that Ms Fiorina made to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University rang deeply in my heart and soul, as I live in a society chock-full of small-minded people who feel entitled to judge and belittle others because they can't endure the envy and jealousy they feel towards others. Some(in my opinion) are unattractive, loud, obscene, ill-mannered and generally have more imperfections than the objects of their derision.

And now my awareness that these people cannot make me less significant with their unsavoury thoughts(though they'd like to) is crystallising, and this will help me cope with the coldness and callousness of this mercenary world.

And it helped me to pinpoint, to a significant extent, my lifelong insecurity: I have allowed myself to entertain the illusion that I'm constantly being judged unfavourably by strangers who meet me for the first time. My shyness is forced to defend itself by rearing the ugly face of arrogance to the surface.

Thus, I need to stop judging myself on behalf of others.

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