WHOSE PROBLEM IS IT REALLY?
James had begun to notice something that worried him. His wife didn’t seem to respond when he spoke to her. At first, he ignored it, but slowly the thought crept in—Was her hearing getting weaker?
Concerned but unsure how to bring it up, James decided to call the family doctor.
After listening patiently, the doctor suggested a simple test.
“Don’t worry,” he said calmly. “You can check this at home. Stand about 40 feet away from her and ask something in a normal tone. If she doesn’t respond, move closer—30 feet, then 20, and so on—until she answers. That should give us a better idea.”
That evening, James found the perfect opportunity. His wife was in the kitchen, busy preparing dinner, while he sat in the living room.
This is about 40 feet, he thought.
In a normal voice, he called out,
“Honey, what’s for dinner?”
There was no reply.
He moved a little closer.
Now about 30 feet.
Again, he asked,
“Honey, what’s for dinner?”
Silence.
A bit more concerned now, he stepped into the dining area.
20 feet.
“Honey, what’s for dinner?” he repeated.
Still nothing.
Now puzzled, he walked up to the kitchen entrance.
10 feet away.
“Honey, what’s for dinner?”
No response again.
Finally, he walked right behind her and, raising his voice, almost shouted,
“Honey, what’s for dinner?”
His wife turned around, slightly annoyed, and said,
“James, for the fifth time, I’ve said—chicken!”
James stood there, speechless.
In that moment, he realised something important—the problem he had been worrying about wasn’t his wife’s hearing at all. It was his own.
Moral
Sometimes, we are quick to find faults in others, without realising that the problem might actually lie within us.
Before blaming others, we should first look at ourselves.
