small moments of truth, big impact on communication


Have you noticed your dentist wearing a mask over their mouth and nose during the time they are busy with the inside of your mouth? The dentist that works with me usually has the mask dangling on one side of his face and that had me wonder about the use of it. I commented on it and the dentist carefully explained that some of his clients have bad breath. And the mask protects him from having any feelings about his clients that the smell might initiate. How thoughtful a reason for wearing the mask.
Other reasons for wearing such a mask happens in Asia. In Beijing the air seems to be so polluted that it promts many people to wear a similar mask while biking or walking the streets. Fair enough, although it may look rather repelling to others. I assume the Beijing people are used to the sight and are not repelled by the sight at all. We are lucky enough to inhale reasonably clean air in Europe, so no need for the odd looking masks.
I have been so very lucky to be indulging the very pure air in the Grand Canyon a couple of weeks ago. When walking on the paths in the Grand Canyon, the depth of the landscape made us feel so tiny that it felt liberating. And then we saw a small group of Asian people nearing us while wearing their mask. I pulled myself right out of this liberated feeling by thinking: “oh no look at that! They are so brain dead that they don’t even realize that the mask they wear does not apply here and that it does the contrary from what they want: inhale clean air”. These thoughts brought back the incomprehension I sometimes feel in life. And ready I was with my judgemental words about this group of people.
Only when I told the story in detail including my judgemental thoughts to my friend back in Amsterdam, was I ashamed of my own brain deadness. My friend informed me that Asian people also wear the mask when they have cought a cold and want to keep others from catching it too because of them!
After the shame, I immediately found my self again and realised that this was another perfect learning opportunity. Every time I see or hear anything that makes me judge behavior of others, the Asian group will pop up on screen in my mind to remind me of the fact that my experience is only limited. Even though I think I know so much and I teach others there is learning every day, the acquired knowledge will always be limited. Things are just not what they seem.