He is so short tempered.
She talks so sweetly.
She has a lot of attitude.
He is so courteous.
We often categorize people or rather segregate people based on certain attributes/ features / qualities or characteristics. At times we try to copy accent of someone, at times the attire, at times we try to imitate their habits and at times their methods.
We always try to analyze every person we meet, trying to form an image, a perception, picking up the points and collecting them in a place regarding that person which helps us in creating the image, but often in this process of image creation, we tend to miss out one point, “The Difference of Apple, Orange and Mango”.
Few days ago, while interacting with my Sir over some topic, I came to know about this difference. It is not a theory, no formulas, no explanations, just a simple thought which we often accept but fail to incorporate in our line of thinking.
How do you match the characteristics of an Apple, Mango and an Orange with each other? Anything common other than the fact that they are all fruits? Similarly, we all are Human Beings but we try to match each and every person with the other. We always accept that a person has his own individuality, his own line of thoughts and he is different from any other person but we often fail to incorporate this in our thought process.
In the terms of our fruits, we try to match the taste of an Apple, with the juice of an Orange and the shake of a Mango, wherein we always know it deep inside that how much ever we try to find the taste of Apple in an Orange or a Mango, the exercise will surely not be fruitful.
If we replicate the same in our lives, then the biggest reason of we being upset is because of our attempts to find the qualities we desire in each and every person we meet. At the backyard of our brains, we always plant the seeds of Mango, Apples and Oranges, wanting them to be the same in all aspects, which is not possible. The day we realise that a Mango will always remain a Mango and it is we, who are given the power to modify ourselves, to adjust our line of thought and to extract the best out of Mango, Apple and an Orange.
A successful leader is not the one who turns an Apple to a Mango, a successful leader is the one who identifies a Mango as a Mango, an Apple as an Apple, an Orange as an Orange and gets the best out of each one of them. An enterprise’s biggest resource is his manpower and if you want to tap that power in the most efficient way then it is by identifying and knowing that every Apple, Orange and Mango is different.
At times I am so upset when a person does not behave good with me or reacts badly or in a way I dislike, but I often forget that I am dealing with a variety of people and every person is different. Every person has his own methods of doing everything, own methods of communicating, own method of expressing, his own thinking, his own methods etc. It is not about how they do it, it is about how do I look at it.
If I understand that every person is different and try to keep my mind open to accept the difference and get the best out of that person then I will surely see the healthy quality of Apple, the vitamins of Orange and the sweetness of Mango. If I crib about the sourness of Orange and the calories of a Mango then I can never realise the better half of the fruits.
It is all about how good am I at understanding the differences between people and how well can I train my mind to accept the same. The faster I realise and the longer I remember this well accepted fact, the more successful I am bound to be. May be you agree completely that every person is different and no one can be compared, but the problem stands in the application of this thought. This principle is most effective when you are actually sad with a person and when you try to find out as to why are you sad.
When you are ready to look into your consciousness as to what is the real reason behind you being upset with a person, then I am sure that in most of the cases, the only answer you will find is that you fail to recognise and accept the differences in the other person. You want the other person to react in the same manner as an ideal person (in other words, you :P) would have reacted. When you refuse to accept the fact that you are a Mango and he / she is an Apple is the exact place where resentment starts which eventually grows into a big fight.
A person who acknowledges these differences, who tries to overcome these differences and who sees the better half of the person is the one who is loved by all, respected by all and the one who achieves success in life while bringing smile to every person’s face he ever met.
Keep smiling, love life and try to accept every Apple, Orange and Mango you meet.
(Inspired by my parents, an interactive chat with my Sir, my friends and you who is reading this blog and wishing to hear my ideas)
Have an amazing week ahead and enjoy the “Fruits of Life”.
Rishabh Jain 