Life Training is About ‘The Essence of Humility to Overcome Prejudice’

Coach Life free from prejudices! When it comes to this crucial subject a person’s typical inclination would be to base it on race, sex, social status and so on.  But let us delve on this on much broader since first and foremost it is a people issue of vital importance.  Ask yourself, is this my worth?  Is this your worth?

           Often times we neglect to empathize on what others are going through.  We are viewing it in our own perspective as opposed to walking in their shoes. It is an egotistic approach that is often dubbed as being self centered.  When we discriminate on others we are venturing on a reproachable act of playing.  First and foremost we have no idea on what those people are going through. What is my worth? Am I doingmy Personal Mission?

There are certain factors that affect people to act beyond the accepted social norms it could be stress and imminent fight or flight mechanism triggered due to an emergency. Like a mom rushing through traffic worried of her child. She had worked nine hours at an under appreciated, under paid job that day.  She’s eagerly driving home because she still has to cook for her children, help them with their homework, do laundry and then hopefully ... if time allows ... spend a few precious moments with her children which is the most important thing.

We need to remember ...that the haggard looking, body pierced, overtly tattooed, disinterested and disillusioned young man who is having problems making change correctly is, in fact, an extremely stressed and worried 19-year-old college student.  He’s currently mentally juggling and balancing his apprehensions over taking final exams ... with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

We need to remember ... that the feeble elderly couple walking so “stinking” slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress is savoring and enjoying this precious moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, if God doesn’t intervene, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Drop all your pre conceived ideas and be open to see the good in others, regardless of their appearance, reputation or actions.  Let us not judge or prejudge. Empathize with others get to know them beyond the norm of social interaction, who knows we might make a significant impact on their lives.

Let’s Coach Life, Never prejudge or discriminate!

I would like to share an interesting story I read recently. After a recent long trip from Boston, there was an older couple who I got a chance to be acquainted with.  The lady adorned her hair in a neat bun while wearing a faded gingham dress. Her husband was elegantly dressed in a homespun threadbare suit. They left the train and walked rather shyly, without an appointment into the office of the president of Harvard University!

The secretary could tell immediately that these backwoods country folks had absolutely no business at Harvard.

“We’d like to see the president,” the man said softly.

“He’ll be busy all day,” the secretary snapped back at him.

“We’ll wait,” the lady replied.

With an indignant air of arrogance and prejudice the secretary ignored them for hours on end hoping that eventually they would go away. But alas they didn’t. This infuriated the secretary that prompted her to go to the president and deal with the predicament.

“Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they’ll leave, “she told him. He shrugged and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn’t have the time to spend with them, but he detested people in gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering his “big shot” office.

So, the President, “strutted his stuff” toward the couple. The lady told him, “We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard, and was very– happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him somewhere on campus.

“The president wasn’t even close to being touched by this! “Madam,” he said gruffly, “we can’t put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.”

“Oh, no” the lady explained quickly, “we don’t want to erect a statue. We thought we would give a building to Harvard.” The president just rolled his eyes.  

He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then said, “A building!! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars worth of buildings at Harvard!!”

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was obviously pleased.  He had put her in her place. He could finally get rid of them now.

The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Is that all it costs to start a university?  Why don’t we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. And they left.

That day Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, CA where they established the University that bears their name... Stanford University.  It’s a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.  Never ... ever prejudge.

           Ladies and gents what we have here is an ill fated stroke of luck that wasn’t capitalized on due to being haughtily prejudiced.  Never judge a book by its cover.  Never prejudice your opinions with a circumstantial filter on your heart. Everyone has a Life Course, has Life Business and has a Personal Mission that cannot be gauge by outside appearance.