Article February 19, 1996 Issue

When you point a finger ...

Craig L. Ghislin

Have you ever found yourself to be particularly critical of a certain person or group of people? Have you ever found yourself "pointing a finger" at someone for something he or she did or said that didn't agree with your way of doing things?

It is very easy for us to point at what is wrong "out there" or with "the other guy." The most appealing thing about pointing the finger is that it appears to divert blame from us to others! Often when I am tempted to point at the wrongs of others, however, an adage comes to mind. It says, "Whenever you point a finger at someone else, you point three back at yourself."

This is more than a clever saying. It reminds me of something Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, has written: "Who is thine enemy that thou shouldst love him? Is it a creature or a thing outside thine own creation?" She begins her answer to these questions with an arresting statement: "Simply count your enemy to be that which defiles, defaces, and dethrones the Christ-image that you should reflect" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 8).

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