Reading Reflection #1

"So before you point fingers, be sure your hands are clean". This is a famous song lyric from the song "Judge Not" by Bob Marley. It is not uncommon for people to judge others, ignoring that they too have faults themselves. In the novel Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, Higgins tell his mother his "…idea of a lovable woman is somebody as like you as possible. I shall never get into the way of seriously liking young women: some habits lie too deep to be changed." (Act III). This was a moment that piqued my interest in the novel. The irony is that he believes there are traits too deeply rooted within  him that cannot be changed, yet he has no doubt he can transform Eliza from a flower girl to an elegant duchess. This is a common misconception among people in society today. It seems as though people have forgotten everyone has weaknesses, just in different forms. To assume your sins are lesser than another’s is foolish and wrong. Higgins believes he is superior to Eliza simply because he is more knowledgeable. What about morals? Are those of less value than intelligence? The irony is apparent, and Higgins is completely blind to it all. This correlates with modern day society, where some downplay their own faults, yet exaggerate when others makes a mistake. This could be a twisted way of making themselves feel better about their own lives: knowing others are morally corrupt in a way which, to them, is worse than their own personal sins. This is all created in their own minds and a personal opinion of where certain sins lay on the morality ranking scale. It all goes back to being narrowed minded. These types of people have a perception of reality which is misconstrued, to an extent that they are now a judge of what morals are of a higher value and which sins are worse.