Other people's verbal thoughts and comments may be (very) influential to our own thoughts about the same situation or event. ..... Today, upon leaving 7/11 store in Santa Cruz, I turned so grateful that I followed my conviction instead of my preference. The store keeper said to me when I was about to pay for a bag of Dorito chips..."He always asked for money from customers." I am a regular customer of that store and I've spoken with Mina, the store clerk, many times. My thought at that time was trapped between to situations...follow my conviction (buy the Doritos for the "beggar" or preference (listen to the store clerk not to get something for the "beggar" who always ask for food). I believe that her point was the "begging" person (young man in his roller blade) has been taking advantage of customers. Decisions by preference satisfies other's thoughts and beliefs (oftentimes ways of being, too).
This was the situation in nutshell: I was leaving the store heading to my car with with a cup of coffee and cheese sticks in my hand when a young man "begging" outside the store asked for some spare change to add to what he has to buy food. I said to him, "Let's go inside the store and I'll buy you something to eat." He said, "I cannot get in line, I am in my roller blade." "What do you want,? I replied. "A bag of chips," he quickly replied.
My conviction was to buy him the chips. I felt that the "tiny small voice" told me to ignore what Mina said ("He always ask for money from customers.") Go on and do what you think is right according to you life principles. It may not be right if I gave him money. He was not an old, sicked beggars like the ones I've seen in Cairo in Egypt or in the Durbur square and Bhaktapur in Kathmandu, Nepal. I believe that it will not hurt if we spare a "piece of bread" to someone no matter what situation in life we are in. In my opinion, one way or the other, we have been so focused to our own self. We are dominated by the triad "me, myself, and I." Sometimes it is hard to give out the extra "tire" we have, specially in this "materialistic" and "individualistic" culture. In my recent trip to Nepal last month my heart was touched by the Nepalese people in general, specially the local people in Bhaktapur, the city of the devotees. The people I've seen in the at least 5 different cities in Nepal seemed to be not materialistic. The Hinduism and Buddhism religions could be part of the reason behind. They live their life simply. I remember the phrase from a declamation piece of writing from Patrick Henry..."Alms, alms, alms...spare me a piece of bread!" What a memory from the past...My mother helped me how to deliver this "declamation piece" that I presented in a declamation contest when I was in high school. I won! Jeah!
Should you follow your conviction or preference in making decisions?
Elephant ride in Thailand, November 2009
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Have a nice day :) Thank you.