sometimes we see ourselves in others ... and it's not pretty ...

I had an interesting experience in a class last week.  There was a gentleman there who dominated most of the class with his own discussion.  Always up for a good discussion, at first, I joined in.  After a short time I realized he was not looking for discussion but only wished to speak.  So I got quiet.

For me, that usually means I'm pissed.  (Troy will nod his head in agreement when he reads that, I am certain.)  But not this time.  Okay, I'll admit it.  Maybe I was just a little *piqued*.  So I got quiet.  But this time, I listened.  I sat and listened to what he was saying without preparing my response in my head as he spoke.  (How many of us are guilty of that?  Uh, all of us!)

I emptied my mind and listened to what he was saying.  After some time I realized he was talking in circles and wasn't really making any valid points that I could see or understand.  I also came to understand that he truly wasn't interested in discussion.  He appeared to be more interested in talking about what he knew and had read.  I realized he was not here to learn what the material was about, but to debate it against everything he knew to that point in his life.

Once I came to this realization, I was no longer annoyed.  It was also an extremely humbling experience because I saw myself in him.  Am I the only person who is still getting to know who I really am?