On Self-Reflection and Respect for Others : Demanding of myself, lenient with others

Demanding of myself, lenient with others!

 The moment I limit my own standards with a complacent ‘This is good enough…’, I become that very person. If, instead, I maintain open standards, acknowledging ‘It’s still lacking, but I submit it due to time constraints. I can do better,’ then that person’s standards become infinite. They can grow and develop endlessly.

Personally, I used to frequently say ‘100%’. Looking back now, that ‘100%’ was imbued with arrogance. Unless you have perfect knowledge of the future, nothing is truly 100%. We live, believing that what’s right before our eyes is 100% certain, but perhaps we should always remain open, always in a state of exchange, always receptive. That should be our chosen way of interacting with ourselves and the world.

Standards vary widely from person to person. Take cleaning, for example. The degree of completion in cleaning differs greatly depending on the individual. I might think I’ve cleaned well, but for someone else, it might be an unpleasant environment.

Just like this, unilaterally forcing others to conform to my standards is arrogance and an overreach. My standards should be my own yardstick. And if someone else’s standards differ from mine, we must acknowledge that difference and respect each other.

The same applies to the pursuit of completion in our lives. In the journey towards that completion, the standards of others are unimportant. If a senior who has walked the path before me sees my path as lacking, I can acknowledge that deficiency and strive to overcome it. Or, if my standards differ from theirs, we can acknowledge the difference and each grow according to our own standards.

The perfect standard is one’s own. 

I sincerely hope that everyone claims their own happiness, based on their own standards, and through their own lives.