Windows and Mirrors

In my cross-cultural communication class in college, I learned that sometimes interacting with people around us can function like a mirror, allowing us to better understand ourselves. 

But sometimes, I am learning, our interactions with others are more like a window...

What other people choose to do isn't always a reflection of ourselves.  Sometimes they just choose to act...and for good or bad, that is what happens.  That is what ripples out, affecting other people. 

It is not always a reflection of what the people around them did or did not do. 

That's probably obvious to some people, but it's something I'm still pondering and learning to figure out.