On dealing with delusional people

I was running a meditation course a few weeks back at my friend GG’s house. I parked on the street, and GG’s neighbour came storming out of her house to tell me I had parked in the wrong place.

She’s an older woman – 80ish if I had to guess.

“You can’t park here.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“This is private property. Over there is where you park.” She answered, pointing across the street.

She was clearly wrong. I was parking on the street, not on private property. And I was in a hurry — I’d flown in, the plane was delayed, and the course I was teaching was starting in 15 minutes.

On the other hand, it would only take a minute to move the car. So I thanked her for pointing out my mistake, and moved the car.

The thing is, everyone is delusional. Nobody sees the world accurately. In some cases like this, it's really obvious. In others it's more subtle. And very rarely is it helpful to point out to people that they are wrong.

And the kicker is that this applies to you and to me too. I see the world as I am, not as the world is. As do you.