The Rubbing Alcohol Treatment
My
father brought to my attention that when we apply rubbing alcohol on our skin
as in a massage, it feels refreshing. The alcohol evaporating on our skin gives
a sensation of coolness. We enjoy the process and we keep on applying rubbing
alcohol to prolong the pleasant sensation.
If
we happen to have a cut on our skin, the rubbing alcohol stings. We do not
repeat the process, rather we end it quickly to stop the pain.
Have
you had this experience? We enjoy the soothing sensation that the rubbing
alcohol gives but we brace ourselves and bravely endure the sting where the
alcohol seeps through the cut to disinfect the wound.
What’s
the moral of the story? One way to look at it is how we react to criticisms.
Insults thrown casually to a group will not bother us personally if the
criticism does not apply to us. However, if the negative statement directly
applies to us, we feel the pain as though we have just been hit by a dart. We
become defensive, angry and we begin to verbally attack the speaker. The speaker
had no personal interest in lashing at us. He was simply making a point in his
speech. We took it personally and we made the assumption that the insults were
directed at us personally. By aggressively fighting off the insults, we
actually confessed or admitted that we were guilty of the accusations made. Had
we remained quiet on the matter, no one would have known our guilt.
Don
Miguel Ruiz in his book, “The Four Agreements,” advised us not to get personal.
The insult was not about us, it had more to do with the other person.
There
is a term, recognition reflex, used by counselors. It is the spontaneous laugh
or twitch of the head or jerk of the arm and other similar bodily reactions in
response to a question. This is usually taken as a positive response contrary
to the verbal response uttered.
Counselor:
Could it be that you don’t want anyone telling you to do something, you want to
be the boss?
Student:
Oh no, I don’t want to be boss, you are the boss (while smiling and his body
twitching).
The
above is a definite show of recognition reflex. The tongue can lie but the body
cannot lie.
The
rubbing alcohol hurts but we know it is cleansing our wound. The words may hurt
but we accept the insult as cleansing our false pride and making us aware of
the need to practice humility. We thank inwardly the person insulting us for
showing us the work we need to do which we may have neglected to do.
It
is a win-win situation even in facing criticism. If it does not apply to us, we
do not pay attention to it. If it really targets our sensitive spot where it
hurts, we recognize it as such, take a deep breath to keep ourselves calm and
resolve to work on this fault. There is no need to deny and counter the
criticism. If it is false, we know it is false. There is no need to make a big
fuss over it. If it is true, we can say a prayer that we are glad we are not
doing what our friend is doing. We abide by the rules which remind us that
unless something is true, kind and helpful, it is best to remain silent on the
matter.
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