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Who’s Watching?
By Vickey Pahnke-Taylor
Editor's
Note: If you've always wanted to sail through the Panama Canal,
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There is an old story about a young woman who, in fixing her first
Sunday dinner for her new husband, cut the ends off of a pot roast,
and threw the perfectly good meat into the garbage. Her husband
asked her why she was throwing the good meat away.
She stared at him for a minute, and then shrugged her shoulders
and said, “I don’t know. It’s something my mother
always did.”
Her husband scratched his head and said it didn’t seem to
make a lot of sense to him.
So the young lady made a call to her
mother. Her mother said, “I don’t know, honey. I always
cut the ends off because I saw my mother do it.”
So then a call was placed to grandma, who was able to clarify things.
“Sweetie, your mother saw me cut off the ends of a pot roast
one Sunday because it was too big to fit in the roasting pan. I
had to cut those ends off just because it wouldn’t have otherwise
fit. I had no idea she was even watching me!”
“Well, Grandma,” the young woman said, “Mom has
tossed out a lot of good meat through the years. But we won’t
do it anymore!”
No doubt, that tradition will no longer continue!
We never know who is watching us. Nor do we know the example we
are being to those who quietly watch and learn. On the other hand,
who are we watching? And what may we have misinterpreted because
we did not have all the facts?
We will want to make sure that we are
in the habit of keeping good and efficient habits, and that we aren’t
following “just because.” And while it is wonderful
to lovingly be an example to those we love and care about, we will
want to ensure that our example is not misunderstood. While the
best intent is there, we may find that something gets lost in the
translation.
Elder Marion D. Hanks once spoke of the power of example:
One of mother’s grandsons
said he had watched with wonderment as his tiny daughter paged
through her storybook, moistening her first finger to turn the
pages as she had seen her daddy do as he read his books. Actually,
she was moistening the finger on her left hand and turning the
pages with the finger on her right hand! But that only served
to emphasize both the power of example and the fact that she,
like all the rest of us, is yet learning. (Ensign, May
1979, p.74.)
This is such a sweet illustration
of how little ones are learning as they quietly watch. We are like
little children in that we emulate those who have influence over
us. Some choose as their examples people who forge strong character
and are beautiful within (see I Samuel 16:7) , while others follow
after the trends of the world, seeking to be like those in television,
magazines, movies and videos. Many of these influencers are far
from harbingers of integrity.
Similarly, we may want to re-check ourselves, making sure that we
are worth emulating.
Who is watching when we are at school? At work? At home? At the
grocery store or at the skating rink? In the library or at the gas
station? What are they learning, from us, by example?
President Lorenzo Snow once made a beautiful observation about the
influence of our example:
You exert a certain degree of influence,
and be it ever so small, it affects some person or persons, and
for the results of the influence you exert you are held accountable.
You, therefore, whether you acknowledge it or not, have assumed
an importance before God and man that cannot be overlooked. (Journal
of Discourses, 18:299.)
Example is powerful and potent. For
us, and from us. We won’t want to toss out any good parts
simply because we have seen someone else do it. Nor will we want
to pass along any throw-away mentalities.
Watch and learn — and gain wisdom by gaining all the information.
Perhaps some traditions need to be put to rest.
Then, there are good and valuable lessons to pass along. Many of
these lessons come from our own actions and words — even when
we have no idea who’s watching!
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© 2007 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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