José Jiménez in his tailoring shop |
While making this short audio-slide show, Jose taught me the main obstacle we face in life is ourselves, because instead of creating our lives, we spend our energy blaming others for our failures. There are many things we would like to do but don´t even try, because we´re afraid of what other´s might say or fear failure.
To remember how important it´s that we build our own future, Jose displays a sign in his shop that says “Don´t be afraid of the competition, but fear incompetence.” It´s incompetent to fear taking control of our lives. Fear betrays us and turns us into victims who live blaming others for our failures.
Jose has a job that is truly ecological, and althought he never win prizes, it´s thanks to people like him that our world isn´t totally contaminated. How many “ecologists” are there who take their clothes to the tailor and how many who buy the “latest brands” and throw away perfectly usable clothing?
If it´s true, as many say, that we care about the planet and humanity, would it not be better to repair clothing in good condition instead of buying new clothes made by a factory slave, or even worse by robotic soulless machines?
Jose recognizes that thanks to “His boss,” God, and his parents who gave him love, respect and education, he has been able to lead a happy life, and above all, to accept and overcome difficult times that come and go.
This story gives us the opportunity to reflect on our own lives. Do we put our lives in the hands of others and blame them for our situation? If so, this story invites us to take a step forward and take responsability for our lives. Being thankfull for what we have and focusing our energy on improving our lives gives us an oportunity to stop being victims and change our lives for the better.
The choice is ours. Abandon fear and fanaticism. We can stop blaming others now for our mistakes and choose to be free.