Art Smarts
Sidney Poitier and the Jewish Waiter who Taught Him How to Read
5 min read
5 min read
The rabbis instructed us to eliminate baseless hatred. Here are some of my tips for even the most annoying of people.
Contrary to my natural instincts, I am told that hatred is wrong. In fact, the three week period prior to the destruction of the Second Temple is upon us and the rabbis tell us that the Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred. After all, you cannot hate people without a reason.
With that in mind, I would like to provide you with some ways to look at annoying people differently. We have to stop judging and start understanding.
Here are some ways to understand the irritating people – do it for the sake of the redemption of the Jewish people:
Think to yourself: they have something important to do. They have to get somewhere. Maybe they were there yesterday, and that was their spot beforehand.
Think: This man has been struggling for over two years. Fighting through it all, while still giving people sales on all items. He is not lying.
They are just cleaning the platter for you.
They have too much business. Your coming back is detrimental to their reputation.
He’s claustrophobic. He needs his own seat, and he’s prepared.
Maybe you did not know that ‘drinking coffee’ can help wake you up. Sometimes you are on a diet, and other people do not realize it. That is why they say, ‘You are overweight.’ Here is somebody who is coming along for you, the single person, letting you know, ‘It is not good to be lonely.’ Advice is always good.
That is where the taste is coming from. You should be thanking him. Without his hands, you would not taste the curry.
The clothes are going to get dirty anyways. Not everybody comes from your country, where Tide is a good smell.
Who is to say, that is your chair? Why is it in front of that guy, if it is yours? Perhaps, if their leg was not in the back of your chair, they would be less comfortable.
Tall people should be allowed to watch movies too. You cannot ban them from the theater. It would be wrong to force them to sit in the back row. History shows us that some people would consider that discrimination. Taller people than you are a people too.
They are giving you the chance to benefit from that wonderful cigarette smell, without having to bum a cigarette. Bumming cigarettes is annoying.
Everybody should assume they are important.
Everybody enjoys the lyrics ‘Nay Nay Nay.’ Our people have been singing that for centuries, even when nobody knew the prayers. ‘Nay Nay Nay’ are words of inspiration. The Beatles were inspired by those lyrics too. Without ‘Nay Nay Nay…’ ‘Hey Jude’ would have been a 2 minute song.
The guitar is made out of wood. See the positive.
You think they are rude. But they are just engaging you in a lively staring competition.
Your neighbors have to eat. You may want them to stop chewing because you can hear that, along with their walking. Even so, they might choke, and then their coughing will wake you up.
Why should their house smell? That is quite selfish of you. Maybe they will take it down to the garbage at some point, if you don’t.
Your conversation as a family member is not interesting. Why should anybody have to sit down to dinner without their friends? For example, there might be an emergency in a teenager’s life. They might have a friend who just realized they are going to a movie. There might be a new game out. A guy might have said ‘Hi’ to a young girl. That is a life changer.
They already did their job. You are not going to get anything else out of them. Why should they have to have them around anymore?
Running inside the home is excellent exercise. You brought these children into the world. That was your idea. Now you must allow them to use their legs and larynxes that Hashem gave them. More importantly, if you don’t allow them, one day, they might end up baselessly hating you and leave you in a senior citizens home.