“What are you looking for in others?” I have been asking this question to myself often.

What are we all actually looking for in others? Do we look for the same values and principles that we have? Or, do we expect them to like/dislike similar things like we do? How about the way they react to situations, form opinions, or come to conclusions? Do we want a mirror image of ourselves? These are interesting questions to ask oneself.

I heard a story recently which is helping me in this effort. I am so happy to share it with all my readers and really hope that it gives you a different perspective in your endeavor to stop to looking for oneself in others. Like I always say, stories like these can mean different things to different people. If you take out any other lesson from it, feel free to note it down in the comments section.

The story is called- The Princess Of Kashi.

The Princess Of Kashi.

Long ago in a kingdom, there lived a King, Queen and a Prince. During a ceremony in the palace, there was a dance drama being organized. They were looking for a little girl to play the part of the Princess of Kashi. The Queen suggested dressing up the Prince as a girl and making him play the part of the princess. The prince donned the clothes and jewelry of a princess and looked beautiful. The dance drama was well recieved by all who attended it and everyone adored the Princess of Kashi. The Queen insisted that the court painter painted a portrait of the prince dressed up as the princess of kashi. The portrait was painted and it was appreciated by everyone.
Years passed and the prince grew into a young man. One day, he was going through some antiques and old paintings in the palace and came across the painting of the Princess of Kashi. He looked at it and was immediately captivated by the beauty of the young princess in the picture. He looked at the date of the painting and calculated that the princess should be as old as he is now. He fell deeply in love with her.
The Prince spoke to the King’s minister about finding the princess that he was deeply in love with. The Minister was very happy to hear that the young prince has found a partner and was willing to go to any place to find and bring the girl who had stolen his Prince’s heart.
The prince finally told the minister that he was in love with the Princess of Kashi. The Minister looked at the painting that the prince was pointing towards, and burst out laughing. He explained to the Prince that he had fallen in love with himself. The person that he thought as his soulmate was none other than himself. The prince was actually pointing to himself. He was his own Princess of Kashi.

The story is often quoted in the context of “what we set out to find is finally within us.”

But then, another way of looking at it would be, what are we looking for in others? Do we hope to see a glimpse of ourselves? Can we ever find our Princess of Kashi in anyone else?

What are you looking for in others?

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