There is a famous proverb, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”

This was true in ancient times and is probably all the more true in modern times today. We all know the importance of good education and good teaching which is a big enabler to long term success in life. In the normal parlance, teachers are the ones who undertake the task of educating others and to impart knowledge.

However, what I want to talk about today is those teachers who though are not really teachers in the proper context but are those irritating and annoying either situations or people who teach us a lot about life and how we need to improve ourselves. The spirit of teaching differs from teacher to teacher.

Imagine your neighbor who always happens to ring your doorbell at odd times and bores you with long useless conversation perhaps does so to teach you the importance of respecting others’ privacy and how you should not be imposing yourself, your conversations, ideas, and advise on others.

A bad boss who makes you unnecessarily sit in front of him/ her waiting, without being the least bothered about the importance of your time is another wonderful teacher. He/ she makes you realize how important the other person’s time is and why you should be considerate to others and not behave like your boss.

A rash driver on the road driving recklessly teaches you how important safety of life is and why you should not be driving like that to ensure the safety of yourself and your loved ones.

Imagine you getting into a taxi after agreeing on the fare for the agreed destination. When you reach there, the taxi driver starts haggling for a higher fare. You are appalled that he is not sticking to his word. He makes you realize the importance of keeping true to your promises. We make promises and commitments so easily but do we keep all those promises and honor the commitments we make to our friends, families, and colleagues.

You come to know that one of your supposedly close friends is gossiping about you with others behind your back. You feel cheated and are upset by the breach of trust by your friend. If you want to learn, this friend of yours teaches you the importance of mutual trust and why your behavior should not be in a manner to hurt anybody and you may be more conscious about that.

You are waiting at an office with a few more people in the waiting area. One of these people gets a phone call and starts speaking to the caller in a loud and/ or an impolite tone. Everyone else in the room is getting irritated and annoyed. He, however, taught you the importance of being polite, soft-spoken to others, and be considerate to those around you.

On a flight, you happen to sit next to a person who is frequently calling in the airline crew and complaining about something or the other. The flight crew, however, the way they are trained, is polite and patient with this irritating passenger. You know her smile is not genuine but not even once she gets impatient and gives it back to this passenger. She does make you learn the importance of being patient and how not to lose your temper easily. In these stressful times, we all get so impatient and lose our tempers easily. Time to think twice and to maintain your calm.

These are just a few small examples but they make you realize how small improvements can make you so much better. It is just a matter of being conscious and aware of such personalities and situations and its upto you to learn some very simple but key tips for a better living.

That said, it is equally important to note that there would be many people out there who would be considering us as their teachers (those annoying and irritating personalities in this context) and they would be learning from our improper behaviors and attitude. Therefore, there is a need of careful introspection to see what image are we carrying and what traits and attributes we display to others. Whether those attributes are in line with what we would expect in others.

I’d like to leave with the below parting thought:

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.” – Carl Jung

Happy reading!!!

NALIN CHANDNA