Be Nice, Redux

I was chuckling about that old advice some dude gave me in Chicago in response to my confusion about the concept of"practicing these principles in all my affairs."  He said and I quote: "Just don't be an asshole today."  I'm not even sure this ever happened.  This is one of those stories I've told for so long that it has fixed itself in my memory banks as an actual event. Honestly, if I think about it, it sounds like something I said to somebody else.  Most people have the courtesy and dignity to keep un-spiritual comments like that to themselves or to not even think about saying it.  Whatever.  The advice is trenchant and applicable if you ask me which you have not done.  "Be nice" is a polite way of rephrasing this.

I try to imagine walking into a Starbucks with Jesus or the Dalai Lama or the Buddha himself.  I'd add other historical religious figures who may or may not have existed but I'm most familiar with those three.  Would the barista be muttering "What an asshole" after taking their order?  Or would they have said something that made her smile?  Maybe remember the incident later in the day or share it with someone else?  That's what I shoot for.  That's not too esoteric a thought.  I didn't have to work on my spirituality for years to understand that this is good, nice behavior.  Sometimes I buy a drink for the person behind me in line and their reaction is always one of shocked surprise.  I wonder at the effect such a little outlay of not-going-to-be-missed-ever cash on my part creates.  It wasn't that nice but people are like: "Really?"  I was checking in for a flight once and I asked the harried gate agent how he was doing.  The dude actually stopped, looked me in the eye, and said: "Thanks for asking!"  Holy shit, he must deal with hundreds of people and no one ever asks that?  I'm getting off easy.  I've taken to politely inquiring of the person or persons in front of me at the grocery store checkout lane if they would mind paying for my groceries as well.  It always goes well.  It has never gone sideways on me.  I almost always have a lighthearted conversation with the individuals involved.  No one has ever taken me up on it . . . .

SuperK and I were in a Buddhist monastery in Kyoto, Japan, looking over some books at a table manned by a monk.  Orange robe, shaved head, big coke-bottle eyeglasses, a pleasant, relaxed look on his face, when he said: "I think you are the happiest couple in the world right now" or something to that effect.   My Bullshit Meter would have kicked in hyperdrive when I was drinking but both of us could see that he could see something in our demeanor that impressed him.  I'm not sure we felt it at the time but we had an aura that he picked up on.  See?  See how easy it is to make an impression?

I did buy a book.  So maybe he really was a grifter, the bastard.