DELIGHT IN OTHERS WEAKNESSES

Monday, October 15, 2007

Have you ever noticed what delight we give other people by confessing to absurd weaknesses! For example, I cannot eat hot food, like some Mexican food, without almost gasping for breath. When this happens to me, and I try to keep it from happening, my “friends” delight to see it or hear about it.

Once in India I ate some hot food with my wife and two other ladies. I was struggling to get it down and almost sick. They were gobbling it up and laughing between every bite. I was embarrassed and although they expressed great sympathy for me, I could see their hidden delight.

On the other side of the coin, I must admit that I take a little delight when someone confesses to me their fear of public speaking. Some people are afraid of flying, others have a fear of spiders—and the list of “weaknesses” goes on.

Why do we delight in others fears? I think we like to feel that there is an equitable rationing system for this stuff and that we are all at times like little children huddling together in the dark. Occasionally someone comes along who doesn’t seem to have a speck of weakness. And when they do, we are delighted to see them go!