Perspective
The Dirty Laundry – A Story About Judging Others
A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the washing outside. “That laundry is not very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on, remaining silent. Every time her neighbor hung her washing out to dry, the young woman made the same comments. A month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?” The husband replied, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.” And so it is with life… What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look. So don’t be too quick to judge others, especially if your perspective of life is clouded by anger, jealousy, negativity or unfulfilled desires. |
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This story's meaning is summed up by the last few lines, which tell the reader that "what we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look." Everyone sees things from their own perspective. If someone is being judged on how they look, remember everyone has their own version of beauty. If it's based on talent, know that each person has different strengths and weaknesses. The most important lesson to be learned from this story is that not everything is as it seems. From the wife's point of view, the laundry is dirty, but she doesn't know that it is her own windows that are dirty. The problem was not the other woman's but her own. This also shows that if you judge someone, you are the one that actually has a problem since you are the one making assumptions and being negative. It is important to stop and examine your own self when you judge others.
Nick Carraway's father gave his advice about thinking about people with disadvantages before criticizing them. It is important to note that the one who judges has disadvantages as well, and they would not want to be criticized for them. The advice goes both ways. |