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\u201cBefore we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy those are who already possess it\u201d (Fran\u00e7ois de La Rochefoucauld).<\/p>\n
MANY OF LIFE\u2019S REGRETS COME FROM NOT LOOKING AT THINGS CAREFULLY ENOUGH. It frequently happens that we acquire possessions or become involved in activities that bring us more grief than happiness, and it would have been relatively easy to see where they would lead if we\u2019d examined them beforehand. That boat you thought you had to have, for example. Did you even ask anyone how much time it would take to maintain it? As La Rochefoucauld points out, before letting ourselves be disturbed by desire for something, we ought to \u201cexamine how happy those are who already possess it.\u201d We ought, in other words, to audit our appetites.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine print\u201d is boring to read, but it\u2019s often helpful to read it anyway. And the more important the contract, the wiser we are to read the fine print. But we don\u2019t often do that, do we? We assume too much. We jump to too many conclusions without examining<\/em> them, and then later, when we realize what we\u2019ve gotten ourselves into, we wish we had surveyed the situation a bit more carefully.<\/p>\n As little as we examine some things, however, we examine others too much. For instance, most of us spend too much time inspecting and analyzing other people\u2019s business. However, \u201che who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears\u201d (Proverbs 26:17). A \u201cbusybody\u201d is a person who meddles or pries into the affairs of other people, and that\u2019s exactly what we catch ourselves being and doing sometimes. In fact, I have a friend who, based on his observation of human nature, has formulated the following rule: our interest in any topic is inversely proportional to that topic\u2019s bearing on our own conduct.<\/p>\n A more productive use of our time would be self-<\/em>examination. When Socrates said that \u201cthe unexamined life is not worth living,\u201d he wasn\u2019t talking about examining someone else\u2019s life to make it more worthy! The growth of our own character depends on being willing to scrutinize ourselves. The flaws are there waiting to be seen, and they are correctable \u2014 but only if we submit to self-scrutiny.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we see men of worth, we should think of becoming like them; when we see men of contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves\u201d (Confucius).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n