Muse for Monday

Our lovely Mantra is quite the firebrand tonight. She seems to have had enough and dressed for the occasion.

The good bet is Mantra was in the examining room where the poem takes place. It seems she had a fly on the wall’s view of the entire affair. Obviously, she is not the only one who can see what is happening.

Blindness is convicting. It lays bare opinions and judgments for what they are. Mantra is looking at the part which we may wish never to be seen. Perhaps, we all have this type of blindness. Can you see what she is seeing?

Blindness

You stabbed yourself square in the eye
To excuse willful blindness and
Come the victim to be treated.
The doctor asks how much you see.
“From this eye I see just fine.”

He stares at you silently
As he works to remove the stick.
You blather opinion freely.
Before he’s done, he is ready
To pinch the pain killer line.

The manure you’re shoveling
Effluviates the hospital,
Sickening all with toxic fumes.
The “P” on your chart’s not “patient”.
“Paradox” is what you are.

Your good eye spots the evil
In every single passerby,
Yet fails to discern your image,
Tarnished, abusive and ugly
In the framed, full-length mirror.

Nor the shattered glass – glittery,
Sparkling – as lightning strikes your head,
But not soon enough to stop you
From throwing one last jagged stone.
Glass house destroyed from inside.

040820121618

~~~~~~~~~~


Have you ever criticized someone’s behavior without noticing you do the same thing or something very similar? Do you know someone who can point out everyone else’s faults but never knows or admits they are wrong? Why is it so easy to judge others? Do we hold others to a higher standard?

(c) Red Dwyer 2012
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33 Comments

  1. It is easier to judge others because we don’t walk around with a mirror all day to judge ourselves.
    Bearman recently posted..Art of Carolyn CurtisMy Profile

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  2. People have sat in judgement of me so often I’ve decided I’m going to build my own court!!! 🙁

    Love and squishy hugs!

    Prenin.
    prenin recently posted..Monday – wonderful weather…My Profile

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  3. Nice !
    Angela recently posted..Power over CircumstancesMy Profile

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  4. We are all so blind to our own faults, but fasten in on others’. Well said. Angie
    Angela recently posted..Power over CircumstancesMy Profile

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  5. Yes, actually. YES. I have criticised litterbugs because there is always bins around, well, when there’s not, I keep it with me until I find one.

    But guess what I did today, WWW. well, I LITTERED.

    No, I don’t normally litter, no, I don’t. Why the hell make the world dirty? I enjoy a clean city. But it went like this (from the one with insomnia after facing court today….)

    Got to car park near court 9.20 am. Due at court re my intervention hearing against my eldest sister posting lies on the web about me BUT MOSTLY ABOUT MY SON ONLY 16 & WHY SHOULD HAVE HAVE TO DEAL WITH SUCH DEFAMATION & HE’S ONLY STARTING OUT IN LIFE.

    *Got a parking slip.
    *Went to court. Announced myself. Waited.

    *Saw the duty counsellor (Women’s services: do you need counsellling – you’re sobbing there as you tell your story; this stress has really gotten to you)

    *Watited longer.

    *Saw some guy called ‘Bob’ who invited me in for ‘a chat’. Told him all the shit again, (Sob) “And I blocked 30 EMAIL ADDRESSES – can you imagine sitting down & making 30 email accounts just to get through to someone?” (sob) And he’s ever so comforting, offering tissues, & then says “Just don’t give up. You are a worthwhile person.” And I say, “Are you a Priest?” and he says, “No, but I am someone who cares.” And I say, “So this which I’ve explained, with my two folders of evidence in front of me (sniff), do I have to explain it again to another person?”….

    *And I wait.

    *And I see THE DUTY LAWYER! (free service) She tells me my sister has written an email to the Magistrate – “Yeah, she’s good on paper”, I say, “She has lied abominably about my son & me – & I have ONLY JUST NOW BEEN ABLE TO BRING MYSELF to view her work of hand…. So I’m not surprised.” And the duty lawyer explains that it won’t be all solved today. So, sob again, I am so f*krightfully exhausted by this stage … considering all the waits…. “So what happens today?”

    *And I wait.
    * I redo my make up. Be frangipani-ed if this is going to reduce me to a red-eyed mess.
    *And I wait.
    *And we go in court.

    *And we apply for an INTERIM (immediately effective until next court date) intervention order. I had applied for this on 27 July just before Detox 30th July, but because I had not viewed “Your sister’s site”, the Magistrate explained, he had not enough EVIDENCE to go forward with. I COULD NOT, COULD NOT BRING MYSELF TO VIEW MY SISTER’S SITE, GIVEN WHAT SHE HAD SAID IN MULTIPLE EMAILS FROM MULTIPLE ADDRESSES FOR MULTIPLE DAYS. But this time I had – last night, in fact. And it was only then I realised how seriously she had defamed her son & me, our character, by her lack of knowledge of our character.

    *So I eventually got back to the parking station. It was 5 to 12 midday. That’s, what, 2 hours & 35 minutes. THE FEE WAS $59!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    *I rang the help button. “No, we can’t let you out without you paying.” They gave me the no. of head office in another State. I ask to pay by credit card, give them my number, but please don’t charge it until 2 weeks. No can do. “Then why did they give me your no.?” “They were passing the buck.”

    *So decided to put in some $$ & a credit card. Couldn’t do. Rang help. Couldn’t do. “Can I get my car towed out?” “If you pay $59.” Exasperation. I use my nearly limited card, I pay the fee.

    And do you know what? I TOOK THE LAST SIP FROM MY COFFEE I BOUGHT, & WHILE WAITING FOR THE LIFT, I SCRUNCHED IT UP & IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA STARING AT ME I TOSSED IT ON THE GROUND IN AN “I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU EITHER” GESTURE, and I got in the lift.

    *** I littered *****

    Worse, when I got to my car in all my stress & distress … I’d left my PAID ticket in the machine!!!!!!!!!!! I went 5 floors down the lifts with prayers in my head … & the ticket was there …. & so was a guy, mopping up my mess. OMG, I would SO never normally do that.

    Yup. I’ve judged. So judge me.
    Noeleen recently posted..You say ‘potatO’; I say ‘Frontal Lobotomy’My Profile

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    • I’d flog you, but I think you have done a good enough job of that. Good to know you have gotten the interim order. <3 {HUGZ} for a lowered stress level.

      Reply
  6. I definitely have judged others. Over the years I had to learn to check in with myself first and recognize that we’re all only human. I’ve made mistakes, other people will make them and who am I?

    The reason we may hold others to a higher standard is because their actions or lack thereof affect us directly. We want what we want and sometimes we don’t look past our own nose at our own behaviors and how it contributes to whatever it is that’s going on. Course, it’s on a case by case basis, but I think you know what I mean.

    Judging, in of itself is not a bad thing. We need to exercise good judgement in every day life. It depends on what we’re dealing with at the time and again, how it affects us AND hopefully we do our best to get all the facts before jumping to conclusions.

    Yup. This is what I think 🙂
    MysteryCoach recently posted..~ Brawl @ Hair Salon ~ (Almost)My Profile

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    • Interesting you bring up direct effects. From what I have been researching the majority of judgments are of those about whom we know little or nothing and with whom we never come in direct contact. Noeleen’s example of litterbugs applies to the no contact portion. The irony in not recognizing our own effects is not lost on me.

      Yes, judgment is necessary, but there is a point when we need information to make good judgments to build or discount trust.

      Reply
      • Absolutely… You realize we could blow this topic up right? LOL … it could to on and on and on …

        I remember watching a TV show where they staged an incident with boys bullying another kid. First they dressed the boys in just regular clothes. People walked right by …

        Then, they took the same boys, dressed them in more thug clothing and more people became involved based on their attire. THAT was interesting…

        They did another show, I would tell you what it was but this was many years ago, where they had a man being abusive to a woman and I think it was like 90% of the people walked on by said it was none of their business and a couple stood up to the guy and asked the woman if she needed help and these are all judgment calls, ya know?

        I think it’s all very interesting …
        MysteryCoach recently posted..~ Job Interviews ~My Profile

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  7. I commented on this earlier, did it skip to a different page?

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  8. Nothing like a good ‘stick in the eye’… er I mean ‘in the mud’… Mantra has had enough and is writing lines to show her emotions!
    Christy Birmingham recently posted..My Legacy, Wilting: A PoemMy Profile

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    • There is a good deal of that going on around M3 these days! Great to see you, Christy! xxx

      Reply
  9. It’s so easy to judge someone else. I learned in my teens to keep a buttoned lip, especially in heated moments.
    Carrying a criticism around might one day find the words pop out even as you believe you’re still only thinking them.
    Tess Kann recently posted..Curious Meets CrazyMy Profile

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    • So, is the middle step to wait until the heat has blown over to discuss it rationally and perhaps discover mitigation?

      Reply
  10. Time to buy Nerf Balls, far safer in glass houses.

    Victims and self-victimization isn’t ever healthy, far worse though hanging out waiting for the lightening to strike then blaming the weather.
    Valentine Logar recently posted..Native TongueMy Profile

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    • Amen!

      And are you sure you would not rather have suction cup darts? *grins and giggles*

      Reply

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