STANDARD

                                                                       STANDARD


A married couple, in their late thirties, had moved to a small town to escape big city life. After getting settled in their new surroundings, they started noticing the people about town. There was one older man who particularly interested them. They inquired about him and were most often told, "He moved here several years ago...don't know where he's from. The best way to describe him is - he's different."

One bright, sunny day the couple was taking a walk on the local beach. They spied the old man of interest not far away. They approached the man with a big smile and a warm "hello." He returned their warm smiles and said, "Nice day."

"Mind if we walk with you and talk?" asked the young man. "Not at all," replied the older man, "Glad to have a little company." "We were wondering about something..." the young couple said in unison. "Yes? asked the man. "You always seem so cheerful, relaxed, really happy - content," the young lady commented. She continued, "Most people you need these days are tight as violin string. They don't look very happy. What's ``your secret? If you have one.

The older man smiled a big smile and said, " The two of you are very observant. My secret is a simple one. When I was quite a bit younger I often noticed that, in everything, people had a higher standard for others than they had for themselves. For a long time I didn't know what to do with this bit of human psychology I had observed. Then one day something I had read many years earlier popped up in my head. It was an instruction a Mystic Master had said his much beloved maternal grandmother had given him when he was a boy: 'In everything, never do as others do.' For the first time, I understood what that instruction meant. From that moment on, I always set the standard for my actions above what i expected from others. Plus, I always raised the presence standard for myself. That's it. There u have my secret for a life that is always nice and pleasant." The three of them continued their leisurely stroll along the beach. The young couple smiled inwardly for they knew they had learned a GREAT TRUTH.