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Everyone is valuable in their own way and capable of expanding our horizons. Our individual journeys take us into many unexpected situations
where we encounter a wide variety of people -- some quite like ourselves and
some very different. We cannot anticipate these meetings, but we can make the
most of them when they take place. When we are courteous as a matter of
course and open-minded in our assessment of the individuals whose lives
briefly touch our own, we are more apt to stumble upon surprising gems of
wisdom that open our eyes to new worlds of possibility. Every person we meet
can affect us profoundly, just as every situation we find ourselves in can
teach us something new. To fully embrace this fact, it is essential that we acknowledge that everyone
is valuable in their own way and capable of expanding our horizons. Since we
never know when we will happen upon those individuals who will unveil truths
before us, we should extend to all people the same generous level of
kindness, care, compassion, and understanding. When we assume everyone we
meet is special and treat them as such, we can develop a strong rapport
quickly. By making an effort to adopt a positive attitude toward others at
all times, we ensure that our emotions do not blind us to wisdom that may be
lurking in difficult or distressing situations. We are accordingly receptive
to knowledge that comes to us in the form of examples, advice, and direct
teaching.
These brief relationships ultimately have the potential to enrich our lives
in a very concrete way. But the wisdom we gain is proportional to the
attention we pay to the world around us. The responsibility is on us to
maintain a state of awareness that allows us to recognize when we are in the
presence of someone consciously or unconsciously in possession of knowledge
that will change us significantly. When we are cognizant of the potential for
unexpected enlightenment, we make a habit of turning strangers into friends,
thus ensuring that we are never without a font of wisdom from which to
draw.
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