Someone To Overlook Our Flaws

Transcript

Welcome, beautiful thinkers.

This is A Beautiful Thought. How your life is already wonderful.

I was thinking about this idea: someone to overlook our flaws.

I was thinking about my friend, Maria Paz, from Chile. I met her in Australia, in Canberra, is kind of a interesting situation.

Because I went to Canberra to talk to the Mexican embassy after being deported from Mexico and banned from Mexico for two years.

I wanted to apply after the first year to re enter Mexico, because I love it that much.

This wonderful Republic, this portal to another world, this magical land where anything might happen.

I went to Canberra and taught at the Mexican embassy while I was there, having to go to some bar.

And I met Maria Paz, I saw this, this woman behind me waiting to be served at the bar.

And I just started to speak Spanish with her because I thought she looked like she might speak Spanish.

As it turned out she was from Chile, and the niece of the ambassador to Guatemala.

And well, yeah, that was the funny thing about the story because I went to Canberra to speak to the Mexican embassy because of these troubles that I had been in and ended up mingling with a bunch of diplomats, Argentine diplomats, and Guatemalan diplomats. And among others.

It was I had to think later, like, I wonder what my family thinks about this.

Like, it’s like I get into trouble, and that ends up with me, meaning a bunch of ambassadors and stuff.

It’s kind of ironic.

Anyway, the point is met Maria pas. And I remember, I went to see her in Chile, she lived in Santiago de Chile. And we went to do an ayahuasca ceremony together.

And Maria, of course, Maria Perez second language is English. And sometimes I would say things to her and, and she’s also one of getting a little bit older, I suppose. Her mind, not quite as sharp as maybe it used to be anyway.

Sometimes they won’t have to repeat things a few times.

And sometimes they will get frustrated.

But she was always so patient with me. So sweet.

It was like she didn’t even notice that when I say it might have been passive aggressive or something like that.

She was so willing to overlook my flaws.

And this is something wonderful thaty our friends can do and we can do for our friends once in a while.

Maybe they do get a little frustrated and they don’t express it in a healthy way. And we we can just ignore it.

Or let it slide. We don’t have to make a big deal about it.

I remember in that movie, A Beautiful Mind with Russell Crowe, as that famous master mathematician. And he returns to the university and his old classmate is now the dean of the University. And he proposes that some research project and the dean is sitting there with him and the mathematician does something very strange with his arm.

It’s like he nervous take something or he’s about to swat a fly that doesn’t exist, because he is a little mentally disturbed.

And he says, “I’m sorry, Dean, you know, Can you do me a favor and just ignore what I did.” And the Dean says, “Of course, what are old friends for?” The mathematician says.

Isn’t what we are, friends? It’s like he never, he never really knew.

But that’s what a friend can do. Sometimes, just let things go.

Likewise, I remember with a friend of mine, Mr. Barry. And Barry is a very kind, sweet man.

I love seeing his smile, I love going to visit him in Melbourne and having a chat with him. And we used to get into these discussions sometimes on Facebook, I was trying to expound this philosophy of liberty and talking about how the world will be better if there were no governments or this kind of thing.

And Barry was always very curious about these ideas, who’s never completely sold on them, but he liked to maintain an interest in them.

And sometimes, I would get a little frustrated trying to explain something or explain my point of view to him.

And almost every time he would take it so gracefully, as if he had never done something wrong, as if he had no idea that what I could have said, let me say that again, he had no idea that what I had said, could have been taken out as passive aggression.

He interpreted it the other way, innocent way, because he had those smooth eyes of innocence that allowed him to overlook my flaws.

And that is a wonderful thing.

I remember I sent Barry a message once I said to him, you know, that inspires me to be a little more graceful, or gracious like that, to allow things to slide and treat people as if we truly believe in their best intentions.

And you know, funnily enough when Barry would behave like that, soon enough, I would settle down.

And I would think, you know, what was I even thinking, why would I even say such a thing, to this dear friend of mine.

I want to be kind to him.

And that is the kind of patience, the kind of awareness, that grace can evoke.

When we overlook the flaws.