Prying Eyes

Introduction:

Welcome my friend,

Our feature story in today's conversation is set in an apartment complex where folks lived together independently while sharing the same space.

Here, a man is seen soliloquizing, mainly disgruntled by how his neighbor's loud music had interrupted his quietness and peace.

It was not the first time.

In fact, it's something that has been going on since he moved in.

Visibly frustrated, he steps into his sitting room and switches on his television, perhaps to distract himself.

Sure enough it works, because as soon as he began watching a show, the sound of the disturbing music could no longer be heard.

Instead, he was now having fun, well engrossed in the action.

His neighbor neither reduced the music nor put it off, apparently it wasn't even as loud, he just had nothing going on in his own apartment at the time.

Discussion:

To pry is to be too eager to get involved in other's business, especially in a manner that we want to have an opinion on how they should live.

Here, we infringe their boundaries, getting involved beyond the limit to which they feel comfortable enough interacting.

To relate this to our story, our lives are like our own homes, and when we spend our time critiquing, advising, or judging how others live theirs, we waste the moments we could use to build and enrich ours.

Likewise, we miss out on the joy that comes from appreciating what we already have.

This is the basis for today's conversation.

■ The Problem With Looking In

If we sampled other's opinions, and asked them to describe our respective lives, we may be surprised by what they'd say.

Similarly, they'd feel the same about our own responses too, as it's really challenging to accurately view someone else's home from outside.

Here, what we usually do is to make assumptions for the things we didn't see clearly, accepting them as truth.

This isn't right.

It's easy to rip into people's lives when we don't know their stories or understand what they've had to endure.

Every scar tells a story, and many of us have painful ones and carry deep emotional wounds that have shaped who we are today.

This isn't something that can be seen from the outside.

We should therefore, assume that everyone we meet is grappling with their own internal struggles.

So that by doing so, we cultivate our ability to show grace and patience to everyone through intentional effort.

Consequently, this reveals to us how people only behave according to the information available to them.

Majority are ignorant and as the saying goes, “one of the costliest things is the knowledge we lack.”

Many of us would improve if we were better informed.

When we're always criticizing others we make light work of the circumstances that have led them there.

This is an unfair assessment of them.

■ Social Media And Controlling Our Eyes

The internet and social media have made the world one large apartment complex where we can look into what others are doing from wherever we are.

For this reason, it's become even easier to spend our time following people's stories and watching them build their lives.

Everyday we come online there are several things competing for our attention and each one we keep our eyes on over time can shape our thinking.

These days, folks bring their marital struggles online for public opinion.

Others bring their family disputes and other such matters, to seek validation from like-minded folks that cheer them on.

For them, this attention is satisfying and they can cash in from it in different ways.

However, for us that are exerting our energy, getting overly entangled in other people's affairs, what's really in it for us?

We have to be intentional with how we use our time so that we spend it in ways we'd get the best value in return.

■ Protecting Ourselves From Prying Eyes

Once we start making progress in our lives, most of the criticism we face will come from those who aren't doing much themselves.

We don't have to let that distract or discourage us.

Often, people try to undermine us because they fear what we might achieve if we continue to believe in ourselves.

They use mockery and belittlement to shake our confidence.

But we don't have to fall for it.

True winners don't mock those who are striving, they empathize with the effort and recognize the path to success.

They know that achievement is only a matter of time.

When we ignore the naysayers, we make space for the uplifting words of genuine supporters, allowing their encouragement to take root and flourish.

■ Closing Our Preying Eyes 

Looking out for those around us is a responsibility we owe one another.

So, when your loud music is on and I'm enjoying my show, who would hear if someone else cries out for help?

While we're encouraged to focus on building our own lives, we're also reminded that being sensitive to each other’s needs is still essential.

However, no matter how good our intentions may be, we must learn to recognize where others draw the line, so we don’t overstep.

Summary:

When we find ourselves constantly criticizing someone else, we should ask: Why does what they do with their lives bother us so much?

If we're overly focused on what's happening in someone else's home, the real question is: Why are we losing interest in our own?

You have a good life, be content with it.

Change what you can’t accept, and accept what you can’t change.

Most importantly, keep building with a smile on your face.

Master Apprentice.

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