What We Expect from Others

I was playing with my little sister in the courtyard. In the middle of our game, she grabbed my toy car. I angrily pulled it away. She had a habit of throwing things, and I was afraid she’d break it. A little later I asked her to bring her ball so we could play with it. She refused, picked up the ball, and went to her room. I was upset and sitting there brooding when Agha Bozorg came over with Ziba, his little bird, on his shoulder. He sat beside me. “You’re upset because she wouldn’t give you her ball, aren’t you?” “Yes. I spent all that time playing with her and keeping her entertained, but...” He cut me off. “Take a look at Ziba. “You can’t clip Ziba’s wings and then ask her to fly. “You can’t break a heart and then ask it to love. “You can’t hurt someone and then ask them to be happy. “You can’t throw someone’s faults and troubles in their face and expect them to see the good in you. “You can’t judge and constantly question someone and expect them to stand by you. “You can’t play with fire and expect to be completely safe. “Life gives back what you give it. So you can’t do someone wrong and expect kindness in return. “Sometimes a word or a gesture from you can break another person’s heart. Of course, we can’t please everyone all the time. But we have no right to expect affection from the very person we’ve hurt. “You took your car away from your sister and wouldn’t share it. That’s all right. It was your decision, and perhaps even the right one. But when you asked for her ball and she refused, you had no right to be angry with her. That was her decision, and you have to respect it.” Agha Bozorg always said that expectation was a kind of poison. Let’s respect one another’s decisions and not take offense. The best thing we’ll gain is our own peace of mind. Perhaps it’s time to bury our expectations. Long live Iran. Long live the Shah.