How about that beam?

In the midst of downward dog this morning at yoga, I allowed myself to get distracted by the goings-on around me (a sure sign of a yoga novice!). A woman had come from behind my friend, who was next to me, to whisper to her that they were too close together, and that she (my friend) needed to move forward. My friend quietly stopped her practice to move her mat forward and reposition herself. I reflected that

1. My friend had been in her spot first,
and
2. The woman behind her had far more room to move back than my friend had to move forward.

Why was it that the woman could so clearly see the problem (collision risk during leg extensions), but not the fact that she could fix the problem entirely on her own? Why was her first inclination to ask someone else to change in order to fix what was essentially her problem? This behavior is so utterly typical and so typically human that Jesus said:

• Luke 6:41

  41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

• Luke 6:42

  42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

I reflected on how often I fall into this trap of thinking problems could be resolved if only other people did the changing. It's something I've thought of many times before, but life handed me a reminder this morning.