I didn't want to post this, because it sounded tooo cheezy and preachy. But I typed it already and it would be interesting to see how I feel about this particular piece a few months down the road. So my appologies to those who might read this

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET

A lot of people take pride in saying that phrase when referring to themselves. Ofcourse what they mean is that they are act, dress and behave naturally without any pretentions, masks, or "projections". While the intention is good, the phrase is not the least bit true.

"...our material world is just the thinnest veneer on the surface of existance..."
from the article Gazing Peacefully by Richard Rosen, Yoga international July 2003

While it is true that you can sometimes tell a lot about a person just by looking, what you see can barely describe WHO the person really is. The physical shell tells nothing of how the person has loved, laughed, cried, learned. A persons behavior or mannerism tell very little of their hopes, dreams, accomplisments, and deeds. Can you tell from "What you see" a person's beliefs or reason for being?

I try to think about this whenever I see the people who's mere presence irks me. Whether is the annoying client, or the loud chattering girls in the restaurant, or any other person I have pre-judged in my mind as annoying, or stupid or selfish . We are all beings of the light. We all deserve the kindness and compassion we all want ourselves