When Will Everybody Else Wake Up?

By Greg Baer M.D.

December 11, 2020

A kind friend sent me a comic strip from the series ā€œPearls Before Swine,ā€ by Stephan Pastis. We see a goat and a rat sitting at a bar, drinkingā€”I know, who hasnā€™t seen that?

The rat says, ā€œEvery single relationship I have with anyone else in my life ends in bitterness, anger, and resentment. Every single one, and when that happens, a guy has to say to himself, ā€˜Itā€™s gotta be me, right?ā€™ā€

ā€œRight,ā€ says the goat.

ā€œWrong,ā€ says the rat. ā€œItā€™s all the idiots around me. Hereā€™s hoping the rest of the world pulls its head out of its @#@.ā€

ā€œAnd for a second,ā€ says the goat, ā€œI thought we were having a moment of growth.ā€

We canā€™t help but smile at this interchange, but most of us live according to the beliefs of the rat. Many times every day we express our displeasure at how some other person has caused our fears, disappointment, or anger. Itā€™s never true, and as long as we wait for ā€œall the idiotsā€ around us to change, happiness will remain forever elusive.

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  • That was precious. I have gone through life thinking everyone else is wrong; partially via parental training. Now I can be wrong. Even when I am not wrong I don’t have to be right. It is a more peaceful way to live. Blessings.

    • Finding more peaceful ways to live is truly miraculous. Nice work! You might have to practice a little, to get comfortable with being wrong, being at fault, having made a mistake. Those are phrases you can repeat in front of a mirror until you have no negative feelings about them. It’s worth getting good at.

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    About the author 

    Greg Baer, M.D.

    I am the founder of The Real LoveĀ® Company, Inc, a non-profit organization. Following the sale of my successful ophthalmology practice I have dedicated the past 25 years to teaching people a remarkable process that replaces all of life's "crazy" with peace, confidence and meaning in various aspects of their personal lives, including parenting, marriages, the workplace and more.

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