Commentaries | Sep 19,2020
Aug 27 , 2022
By Eden Sahle
At gatherings, we often hear about others’ lives. The unfounded stories we are told have many assumptions and wrongful conclusions about a person. Many judge even people they do not know. They use their external metrics and what they hear to place a person on one level or another without thinking twice.
I have observed this on many occasions but one case stands out. When I was preparing for my wedding, one of the things I struggled with was selecting a makeup professional. I heard many opinions from people, making it difficult to choose. Finally, I settled on Marzel Makeup Studio because the samples seemed impressive.
Many people did not think it was a good idea. I was told that Marzel, the founder, belittles her clients. They said she is pricy and an angry, impatient person who intimidates people; a woman who is full of herself and does not respect her clients' wishes.
When I first went to her studio, I never got a chance to meet the artist and had difficulty stepping across the floor as it was covered with a bunch of massive "thank you" flowers sent to her by happy clients.
I got to meet her for the first time in the middle of the night before my wedding day at her studio in Bole. I was scared a bit because of what people told me about her. And my face needed work. Before going to her studio, I could not sleep, weeping for hours in my room, with the thought that my late father will not be around on my wedding day. I went very sad and tired, but she welcomed me kindly. As I waited for her to finish her work on the bride before me, I observed how kindly she treated the brides who had flocked to her studio.
In just two hours of encounter, I came to know a very compassionate young person full of wisdom and character. She comforted me about the loss of my father. I felt like I was in a psychiatrist’s office getting counselling to get me through the big day. I came broken but left her studio with a huge smile and comfort.
After my makeup was done, she made me sleep on her studio couch so that I get some rest before my wedding started. As I lay there, I could not stop thinking about the difference between what I was told and what I found when I met her in person. I would not have found the strength on my wedding day if it was not for her wise words.
She advised me about her experiences, and that grief is a part of life. She told me the importance of prayer and being kind to oneself. She listened to my sadness with no judgment. She advised me it is “what now” that will help me heal rather than asking “why.”
Sometimes a person we met for a couple of hours inspires us so profoundly that they stay in our minds for a long time. It is especially surprising when it is a person we are told to shy away from by others. Unlike what I was told, she was patient, respectful, hard-working and punctual.
It turned out that none of the people who were putting her down knew her personally. They have never been her clients. I should not have been surprised.
We live in societies that make ludicrous assumptions and present them as fact. Rationality is becoming extinct. We should learn to admire and encourage talented people instead of creating wrongful stories discrediting their hard work. We should learn to talk about people’s achievements and appreciate them.
PUBLISHED ON
Aug 27,2022 [ VOL
23 , NO
1165]
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