Judge Not A Book By Its Cover

I sometimes wonder whether some people are aware of the double standards they practice, especially when they deal with different kinds of people. For example, when they are in the presence of a dignitary or some important person, they behave so pleasantly and sweetly. But when they come across a person who appears to be unkempt, or poor, or dressed in a simple manner, how would they behave? Some may look at such persons with suspicion, or have a haughty attitude, or even behave in a rude and demeaning manner towards the other.

For example, if you see a person who appears to be unkempt or dressed in a simple manner entering the church, would you make it a point to greet the person, or even offer some assistance? Or would you think that such a person has no place inside the church, or even think that such a person is is up to no good? Likewise, if you are a salesperson selling branded goods, and you see such a person browsing through such goods, would you offer your services, come what may, or would you ignore such persons, thinking that they are not worth your time, or even watch such a person closely, thinking that such a person could be a thief?

But the reality is, never judge a book by it's cover. The person you are dealing with may not be what he or she seems to be, since there may be more than meets the eye. A person may appear to be unkempt or even dressed in a simple manner, but sometimes such persons may turn out to be far more important or significant than we perceive through our prejudiced and coloured eyes. In fact, the person may even turn out to be Jesus in disguise.

I remember a story an elderly padre shared with me some years back, of a religious sister being posted to some remote parish in a diocese in some part of Africa. When she arrived, she managed to find her way to the remote parish, with help from some natives, whom she viewed with some apprehension. After putting her bags into her room, she went to present herself to the bishop, whose residence was just a walking distance away from the parish. Upon arriving at the bishop's residence, she came across a gardener near the entrance, and said to him: "hey old man, I am here to see the bishop. Where can I find him?" The gardener looked at her and said: "You want to see the bishop? Just go into the house and wait at the living room. He will meet you shortly." The sister went in and waited, and waited. She was getting pretty impatient, when an old-looking man came into the living room, dressed in full regalia, with mitre, staff and ceremonial attire. The sister was shocked to discover that the "old man" she had spoken to, in a rather rough manner, was in fact the bishop, and she felt embarrassed and sheepish. The bishop just grinned and welcomed her to his diocese, and even offered her some tea.

So the question we need to ponder is this... Are we able to treat everyone equally with compassion, dignity, mercy and love? Or have we allowed our pride, ego and prejudice to colour our vision and thoughts? Are we willing to behave truly as brothers and sisters in Christ, or do we choose to remain biased in our attitude and behaviour?

PhD or phd or PHD?

Every once in a while, I come across people who claim to be intelligent or learned, even to the point of achieving high academic status, and yet the person's attitude, character and behaviour seem to render one's intellectual capabilities irrelevant, or even to the point of being obnoxious. Perhaps some of you may have come across such a person or persons before, who may have a PhD, but who may actually be more of a phd or PHD.

Now some of you may be wondering... What difference is there between the three? After all they use the same letters, except for the fact that some are in uppercase and some in lowercase. So what's the big deal here?

Perhaps, if I may, clarify what the three acronyms mean, then you may get my drift:

PhD - A Doctorate in Philosophy, usually the highest level to be achieved in academic circles.

phd - permanent head damage, as in the situation some individuals around us may be experiencing, either physically or in one's attitude or behaviour.

PHD - this is where it may get interesting, where PHD stands for:
P: Prasangka - prejudice or preconception
H: Hasad - envy
D: Dengki - jealousy

When one has become consumed with PHD, one becomes easily prejudiced towards others, envious towards other people's abilities and even jealous towards other people's good works or efforts. This could cause one infected with PHD to resort to unsavoury or extreme measures to put down the other, or even destroy the other's reputation, or even to the point of committing character assassination, in an effort to puff up one's image, pride and ego. The question is... would one ever be content or happy; or would one end up excessively fearful of one's shadow, or petrified that the next corner may reveal more so called "enemies" to be dealt with? Would one fall into the abyss of insanity, obsessed in protecting one's image and status at all cost?

So how do we prevent ourselves from falling into the snares of PHD? In a word: humility. When we embrace humility, we begin to realise that we are not the ultimate and that is okay. We realise that the world does not revolve around us, and we come to understand that we are merely pilgrims, contributing in whatever way we can for the good of all, and for the benefit of generations to come. Are we willing to let humility flow throughout our veins, or have we allowed the rot of PHD to overcome and engulf us in its treacherous grasp?