During the spring and summer months, it's not uncommon to see the side-view mirrors of cars adorned with garbage bags or cut-off shirt sleeves. This warm weather look is due to the nesting of songbirds. The males stake out their territory by flashing their bright feathers and singing from high among the trees. But occasionally an interloper will appear who refuses to respect boundaries, even when met with a direct attack. The problem is one of perception; the intruder is really the male's own reflection, not another bird. The twenty-sixth slogan advises us not to ponder others for the same reason. What we think we understand about another's motives is likely a reflection of our own mind. The assumptions we make about the intentions of another person is based on our analysis of their actions. Logic and reasoning will never give us an actual view inside their mind or heart; it's probable that what we imagine to be true is wrong. We'd be better off paying attention to the feathering of our own 'nest' instead of trying to figure out someone else.
We judge ourselves by our intentions; we judge others by the effects of their actions on us. ~ Jack Himmelstein
For more information on the twenty-sixth slogan, go here.
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