When was the last time you were late and expected someone to understand? How about the time you left your dishes on the table for someone else to clean up? Or perhaps you left the lid on the peanut butter jar loose, and the person after you opened the jar to find it dry and not fresh.
Often, we are eager to ignore our own faults. But we have higher standards when it comes to our expectations of someone else who has the same expectations. We need to as equally understand the weaknesses of others and excuse them just as we excuse ourselves.
Two of my strengths are punctuality(准时) and organization. I like to meet deadlines when they are due and keep the space around my computer neat and orderly. But sometimes things happen, and I slip from being perfect. When this happens, I show myself mercy and lower the standard for myself. However, if someone else makes a mess around my computer, I might not show them as much mercy as I show myself. If it can happen to me, then I should be willing to realize that it can happen to someone else as well.
I am not suggesting that we should not work on improving our faults, or that it should be right to be late or leave a mess behind us. Although we should always be working towards self-improvement, we shouldn’t have a double standard that says we are excused from our own mistakes but we cannot excuse someone else. If we are not 100-percent perfect, we shouldn’t expect others to be.
Mercy shows an understanding heart. If we are blind to our own faults, we will not be very merciful towards others. Showing a little mercy goes a long way when life’s little mistakes take place. When the tables are turned, showing mercy towards someone’s shortcomings could cause us to receive some in return.
小题1:From the first paragraph we can learn that________________.
A．we all make a mess sometimes
B．we all need private space
C．we should accept others’ help with gratitude
D．we should not open the lid on the peanut butter jar小题2:How does the author develop the third paragraph?
A．By raising questions.
B．By giving examples.
C．By analyzing opinions.
D．By showing research findings小题3:The underlined part, “When the tables are turned” in the last paragraph, can be best replaced by____________.
A．“When good luck comes”
B．“When benefits increase”
C．“When our mistakes happen”
D．“When the situation is changed”小题4:What would be the best title for this passage?
A．Changing Bad Daily Habits
B．Excusing Our Own Faults
C．Being Merciful Toward Others
D．Working Toward Self-improvement
