It is true that you are everyone’s teacher. Everyone has the opportunity to learn from interchange with you. And you learn from everyone else as well. Everyone is everyone’s teacher, and everyone has something to learn from others -- undoubtedly, a lot to learn.
Everyone can learn from your misbehavior as well as from your generosity. The fact that people will learn from you regardless of your actions is no excuse for misbehavior, however. There are limits in the world, and many of them are in your best interest. There is good behavior, and there is poor behavior. Rudeness, it is safe to say, is not good behavior. Instead of saying behavior, it may be more helpful for Me to say idea. Some things are clearly not good ideas. I would say following the 10 Commandments is a good idea. Certainly, it’s not a good idea to convince yourself that breaking them is a good idea.
Jumping on tables is usually frowned upon. If you jump on a table to get across a crowded room, what blessing is there? What lesson are you giving when you jump on tables? Perhaps you are showing disrespect. It is not for you to set out to teach people lessons. Did I give you a free pass? Because you choose to do something, does that make it virtuous?
Now, in musicals, it is allowable to jump on a table in order to perform a stellar dance. The dancer who jumps on a table in a musical is not giving lessons, not even dance lessons. He is giving joy.
Think about giving joy, not lessons. Spread joy, and no one will need lessons. Joy fosters good ideas.
With all your might, forego giving lessons. Sure, teach someone to ride a horse or drive a car. Offer such tried and true lessons, and let people ask you for them.
Of course, people are responsible for their reactions to you. You are not responsible for how others respond to you. You are responsible for what you do. You are responsible to see that what you do gives people peace and not pain. What are you giving?
Are you perhaps trying to prove that you are smarter than everyone else? No one is smarter than everyone else. Smartness is singularly overrated anyway.
You don’t even want to prove that you are kinder than everyone else. You have nothing to prove.
If you are one who generally thinks of yourself as meant to stir things up and teach lessons, then you have lessons to learn. Better to grace people with your presence than to upset them. Create peace rather than clamor. When you consistently incite clamor, you have a lot to learn.
So long as you know everything, you are not open to learning. The first thing is to open your heart and not close others’ hearts. If you feel your role is to roil other people, you are discounting yourself. Arrogance comes from your lack of belief in yourself. Otherwise, you would respect yourself more.
Those who commit crimes are generally called criminals. They write their own rules. They write: “It is okay for me to steal. It is all right for me to kill. It is all right for me to cheat.” At least they are honest criminals. They don’t convince themselves they are virtuous. They admit they are doing it for their own ends. They do not say that they are criminals in order to enlighten others. They do not kid themselves that they are creating havoc for the betterment of others.
If you are really here on Earth to teach others lessons, then teach them happiness, and teach yourself as well.