Physician, heal thyself.

This admonition is taken from Luke and said by Jesus in reference to what others would say to him. Now, I’m not going to go into the meaning as it is used in this particular passage. Instead, I want to use it in reference to offering advice.

At first look, it seems that Jesus’ commentary on the people of Nazareth asking him to perform miracles is a far cry from you and me giving other people advice. But if we take it as a metaphor, it is actually quite simple — along the same lines as Jesus’ other comment about removing the log from our eye — and has nothing to really do with doctors and their shortcomings.

You’re probably already there, but let me say it anyway: you, as the advice giver, are the physician: looking at the “illness” in another and telling them what they should and should not do in order to “heal” themselves. (I’m not even going to go into getting what you pay for when you get free advice!) It is so easy for us to diagnose what is wrong with others while being unable even to imagine that there might be anything wrong with ourselves and our own lives. You may be full of all the wisdom and knowledge in the world, but your advice to another on what they should do sounds hollow when everyone else sees the glaring problems in your life that you seem blind to. (Again, that log in the eye.) (And a run on sentence.)

Physician, heal thyself — good advice. But how do we do that? Can we possibly step back, step out of ourselves and examine our own life and motives, actions and thoughts, like we examine another? Is that possible — or is that the scariest thing imaginable? I’m going to try it. See if I can step back and look at what is wrong with me and start listening to my own advice. (Which leads me to another aphorism: An unexamined life isn’t worth living — which is not an urging to suicide. Maybe I’ll explore what that philosopher meant sometime.)

See, I’m not going to tell you what you should do. I’m going to just give you something to think about. This physician is going to take his own advice: heal thyself first to see if your advice is of any value before giving it away for free.