Salt , Pepper and The Spices of Life

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Salt, Pepper and the Spices of Life

 

*You're

sitting at a table , having a meal with some friends .

Bowls

of soup are served to everyone at the table. Before tasting the soup , the

person next to you reaches for the salt and pepper, and for the next 20 seconds

vigorously shakes into the soup more salt and pepper than you would use in a

month .

 

You

have a pained look on your face. These thoughts immediately go through your

mind : " Why would you put salt and pepper in soup , or on any dish , BEFORE

you taste it ? How do you know how much to add ? " You might also think ,

" How can someone put so much salt and pepper in their food ? "

 

Of

course , the roles could be reversed. You might be the one who loves to put a

lot of salt and pepper on your food and the person next to you eats the soup

without adding salt or pepper. In that case , you think , " How can she eat

this bland soup without putting any seasoning in it ?"

 

When

it comes to salt , pepper, onions , garlic , curry or just about any type of

seasoning , we tend to see things only one way - OUR way. It's hard for us to

understand how someone could enjoy food when it is not seasoned as we think is

appropriate. We cringe when we see someone " overdoing " or

" under-doing " the spices .

 

How

we season our food is a matter of preference and personal taste. There is no

right or wrong way to use seasonings. Furthermore , the way in which another

applies salt and pepper does not affect us in any way. They're not putting the

salt and pepper in YOUR soup. They are putting the spices in their own soup .

 

Our

world is so diverse , and yet it is difficult for us to accept each other's

preferences. Often , when we see people doing things we wouldn't do , our mind

says :

 

Why aren't they thinking as I think ?

 

Why aren't they acting as

I would act ?

 

Your mind would often have

you believe that your way is superior. Your beliefs and habits are shaped by

your genetics and your environment. Each person has different genetics and has

grown up in an environment that is different than yours. Why expect everyone to

come to the same conclusion ?

 

Our spiritual growth comes

when we learn to accept that others have different preferences , and we honor

those preferences. There is no universal religion that everyone will agree to

practice. There is no universal political viewpoint that all will accept . There

is no one way of raising children that all cultures will agree upon . Marriage

customs will vary from culture to culture .

 

Getting people to agree on

these issues is like trying to get everyone to use the same amount of salt and

pepper on their food . It's not going to happen .

 

The diversity in this

world is beautiful and we can open our hearts to it . Within our own country and

in our relations with people in other countries , we need to continually remind

ourselves that it's perfectly acceptable for people to have preferences. If the

other person is not harming us , why can't we just smile and get on with life ?

 

The next time you're

tempted to judge or criticize the way other people think or act , realize that

in most cases , they're just using a different amount of salt or pepper than you

would use . Allow them to have their preferences , and there is no need to even

consider what YOU would do .