Salt, Pepper and the Spices of Life
You're sitting at a table, having a meal with some friends.
Bowls of soup are served to everyone at the table. Before
tasting the soup, the person next to you reaches for the salt
and pepper, and for the next 20 seconds vigorously shakes into
the soup more salt and pepper than you would use in a month.
You have a pained look on your face. These thoughts
immediately go through your mind: "Why would you put salt and
pepper in soup, or on any dish, BEFORE you taste it? How do
you know how much to add?" You might also think, "How can
someone put so much salt and pepper in their food?"
Of course, the roles could be reversed. You might be the one
who loves to put a lot of salt and pepper on your food and the
person next to you eats the soup without adding salt or
pepper. In that case, you think, "How can she eat this bland
soup without putting any seasoning in it?"
When it comes to salt, pepper, onions, garlic, curry or just
about any type of seasoning, we tend to see things only one
way - OUR way. It's hard for us to understand how someone
could enjoy food when it is not seasoned as we think is
appropriate. We cringe when we see someone "overdoing" or
"under-doing" the spices.
How we season our food is a matter of preference and personal
taste. There is no right or wrong way to use seasonings.
Furthermore, the way in which another applies salt and pepper
does not affect us in any way. They're not putting the salt
and pepper in YOUR soup. They are putting the spices in their
own soup.
Our world is so diverse, and yet it is difficult for us to
accept each other's preferences. Often, when we see people
doing things we wouldn't do, our mind says:
Why aren't they thinking as I think?
Why aren't they acting as I would act?
Your mind would often have you believe that your way is
superior. Your beliefs and habits are shaped by your genetics
and your environment. Each person has different genetics and
has grown up in an environment that is different than yours.
Why expect everyone to come to the same conclusion?
Our spiritual growth comes when we learn to accept that others
have different preferences, and we honor those preferences.
There is no universal religion that everyone will agree to
practice. There is no universal political viewpoint that all
will accept. There is no one way of raising children that all
cultures will agree upon. Marriage customs will vary from
culture to culture.
Getting people to agree on these issues is like trying to get
everyone to use the same amount of salt and pepper on their
food. It's not going to happen.
The diversity in this world is beautiful and we can open our
hearts to it. Within our own country and in our relations
with people in other countries, we need to continually remind
ourselves that it's perfectly acceptable for people to have
preferences. If the other person is not harming us, why can't
we just smile and get on with life?
The next time you're tempted to judge or criticise the way
other people think or act, realize that in most cases, they're
just using a different amount of salt or pepper than you would
use. Allow them to have their preferences, and there is no
need to even consider what YOU would do.
divinely sent
