“If you’re looking for faults, get a mirror instead of a microscope.”
–Anonymous
Why is it that so many of us can see faults in almost everyone with whom we come into contact, but are unable to see our own? Is it because we have fewer faults than others, or is it because we are unwilling to acknowledge our own? For most of us, it is the latter. We don’t want to see faults in ourselves, so we don’t look for them. And if someone else points out our faults, we become defensive and deny that any exist.
None of us are capable of changing others, but we can all change ourselves. Pointing out the faults of others accomplishes nothing except to make them mad. And when others point out our faults, we usually become so defensive that we are unable and unwilling to acknowledge them, let alone do anything about them. So instead of pointing out the faults of others or waiting for others to point out ours, we should take a hard look at ourselves. If we can’t find any faults, then we can be sure that we are not really looking objectively, because we all have faults.
Benjamin Franklin made a systematic effort to improve himself by focusing on his faults and then concentrating on improving his behavior one fault at a time. He would work at correcting a single fault until he felt he had it licked, and then he would tackle another one. We can all do the same. For example, if one of our major failings is being habitually late, we can focus on punctuality until we have developed a habit of being on time. If we believe that we do not have healthy eating habits, we can focus on our diet over a long period of time in an effort to become more nutrition conscious.
All of us are capable of growing spiritually and intellectually right up to the day of our death. We never become too old to learn, and we never reach a state so near perfection that we can no longer improve ourselves. Yet some of us stop growing shortly after we reach adulthood because we refuse to acknowledge our shortcomings and we are unwilling to try to improve ourselves. Such an attitude is unhealthy for both the individual and for society in general. So why not take a hard look in the mirror and try to determine what areas of our lives most need improving and then start working in that direction?
Think about it.
***
Copyright 2026
Allen W. Smith
