"Use a Mirror instead of a Telescope"
Post on: February 28, 2019
Ranjit feared that his wife was becoming hard on hearing. Lately, she has not been replying to his questions like before. However, he did not know how to broach the subject to her. Hence, he decided to seek advice from the experts in the field.
That morning, he took a day off and made an appointment with an audiologist. The audiologist said it was quite common for a person’s hearing to deteriorate as one age. He suggested a test to determine if his wife’s hearing was as bad as he feared.
“Let’s see how this simple test turns out,” he explained. “If it doesn’t pan out favourably, bring her for a test to determine her stage of hearing impairment — whether it’s a mild, moderate, severe or profound hearing loss which we can determine through an audiometry test. Thereafter we can decide if she requires a hearing aid.”
“Before we come to that, stand approximately 12 meters away from her and in your normal conversational tone, speak to her and elicit a response,” the audiologist suggested. “If she doesn’t respond, get closer to 10 metres and then 5 metres till so forth until you get a response.”
Ranjit was brimming with anxiety and wanted to try the experiment as soon as possible. So that night, he decided to carry it out. He was in the hall watching television while his wife was in the kitchen cooking. He lowered the TV volume so that his wife could hear him clearly and after making sure he was about 12 meters away, asked his wife, “Darling, what’s for dinner tonight?”
His wife did not respond. He then got closer about 10 metres from her and asked, “Darling, what’s for dinner tonight?” She did not respond this time too.
Ranjit’s worst fear has come true. He realised that his wife’s hearing has deteriorated. So, he got closer – into the kitchen and asked her, “Darling, what’s for dinner tonight?” But there was no response too.
He was sure that his wife has become partially deaf after all. With a heavy heart, he stood behind her and asked, “Darling, what’s for dinner tonight?
His wife turned around and smiled at him. She looked at him with a glint in her eyes and said, “Ranjit, tonight we are having your favourite garlic naan with butter chicken — and this is the fourth time I am telling you.”
This is a simple story with a powerful message — When we are looking for faults, we must use a mirror instead of a telescope. The problem among many people is that we are too quick to point our fingers at others. After all, the fault may lie within us.
It is always uplifting to read such stories. We may not be able to vouch for the story’s authenticity… in all likelihood, it could be a fiction. But this is not essential. What matters is that they capture our hearts, set us thinking and create a desire within us to act positively. A lesson can be learnt from the moral such a simple story brings…
#JollyGoodTimes #UseAMirrorInsteadOfATelescope #ShajiThomasVarughese
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