Have you ever heard the proverb, “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones?” Yeah, well, I’ve just realised what it means. You see, I’m lucky enough to live in a glass house, with a nice view of the street. I usually sit up on the balcony, watching the people below. I always try to give them constructive criticism, in the form of a sticky note on a rock. “You should smile more,” or “Stop slouching”, you know, just to help them get that little bit further in life. Who knows, that corrected posture or radiant smile could be the difference between getting a big pay rise at work or not. I’m helping people.
This is totally irrelevant, but does anybody know a good glazier near Melbourne?
Anyway, I’ve been giving people feedback for a few years now, and there’s never been an issue. People in my local community call me “Advice Man”. Sometimes people will come around just to get criticised. But earlier today, a new face walked by my house. I noticed that his shirt was untucked and hair dishevelled, so I wrote my feedback on a note and put it over a stone. Then I leaned over my glass balustrade and tossed it to him. The man obviously wasn’t expecting it, because he leapt back and began shouting at me!
I tried to explain who I was and that people usually take my criticism well, even ask for it, but this brute wouldn’t hear a word of it. He picked up his advice stone and threw it back at me. The rock crashed through the wall of my house, and the structural integrity was, well, nonexistent from there. The next thing I knew, I was lying in a mountain of shattered glass.
So, the meaning of that proverb is obviously quite literal. If you live in a glass house, don’t throw stones. Because people can’t take criticism and they’ll just throw the stones back at you! I think I’ll be getting a stone house next. Then I can throw all the rocks I want.