Wellness Wednedsay: Become an Anthropologist

(Trujillo, PERU 2008)

I wanted to share some excerpts from one of my favorite books, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff…and it's all small stuff"by Richard Carlson. Every now and then I pick up this book and read a chapter or two (they are only a couple pages). Today this chapter really stood out to me.

Here are some key points:

--Anthropology is a science dealing with man and his origins. In this strategy, however, I'll conveniently redefine anthropology as "being interested, without judgment, in the way other people choose to live and behave". This strategy is geared toward developing your compassion, as well as a way of becoming more patient.

--Being interested in the way other people act is a way of replacing judgments with loving-kindness. 

--When you are genuinely curious about the way someone reacts or the way they feel about something, it's unlikely that you will also be annoyed. 

--Becoming an anthropologist is a way of becoming less frustrated by the actions of others.

--There's a fine line between being "interested" and being arrogant, as if secretly you believe that your way is better.

--One of the cardinal rules of joyful living is that judging others takes a great deal of energy and, without exception, pulls you away from where you want to be. 

I think this really goes along with "seeing the innocence in others". When we take a step back and really try to understand someone (where they are from, what they are going though) we have a better understanding of why they are acting the way they are. And then we are more easily available to love them. 

I feel like with all the social media buzz around us with instagram, Facebook, blogs and so on; it is so easy to have a judgmental attitude towards others. I know that I am guilty of this. I need to be better at NOT comparing myself to others and judging others. I know that if I can just work on being interested without judgment that I will definitely be less frustrated by the actions of others as well!