All i want is Peace

The famous author of The Power of Positive Thinking once told this story.

A man once telephoned Norman Vincent Peale. He was despondent and told the reverend that he had nothing left to live for. Peale invited the man over to his office. Everything is gone, hopeless, the man told him. I’m living in deepest darkness. In fact, I’ve lost heart for living altogether.

Norman Vincent Peale smiled sympathetically.

Let’s take a look at your situation, he said calmly. On a sheet of paper he drew a vertical line down the middle. He suggested that they list on the left side the things the man had lost, and on the right, the things he had left. You won’t need that column on the right side, said the man sadly. I have nothing left, period.

Peale asked, When did your wife leave you

What do you mean She hasn’t left me. My wife loves me!

That’s great! said Peale enthusiastically. Then that will be number one in the right-hand column—Wife hasn’t left. Now, when were your children jailed

That’s silly. My children aren’t in jail!

Good! That’s number two in the right-hand column—Children not in jail, said Peale, jotting it down.

After a few more questions in the same vein, the man finally got the point and smiled in spite of himself. Funny, how things change when you think of them that way, he said.

In life, a lesson learned in your past that you will never forget completely.

When I was in elementary school, I got into a major argument with a boy in my class. I have forgotten what the argument was about, but I have never forgotten the lesson learned that day.

I was convinced that I was right and he was wrong - and he was just as convinced that I was wrong and he was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson. She brought us up to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on the other.

In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked the boy what color the object was. White, he answered.

I couldn’t believe he said the object was white, when it was obviously black! Another argument started between my classmate and me, this time about the color of the object.

The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was standing and told him to come stand where I had been. We changed places, and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I had to answer, White. It was an object with two differently colored sides, and from his viewpoint it was white. Only from my side was it black.

My teacher taught me a very important lesson learned that day You must stand in the other person’s shoes and look at the situation through their eyes in order to truly understand their perspective.