Here are a few things that I believe:
I know that the world can be a lovely place.
I do believe that it is a wonderful life.
I have known some beautiful people who might, for all I know, have been angels in disguise … who have restored my faith in human beings…
… but I have also seen a lot of unkindness where there was no call for it. I’ve seen meanness and littleness of spirit. I’ve seen people hurt one another over the smallest of issues. I’ve personally been crushed a few times by uncalled-for criticism. We’ve even been cheated by an unscrupulous uncle and cousin ...
How can we best react to adversity and injustice when it strikes on home turf? How can we deal with dishonorable people without damaging our own integrity or personal wellbeing? These are questions about which I have thought long and hard. We can certainly never stoop to their level. Try as we might to be the best we can be, there will always be someone who will find fault or have no qualms about cheating us. Fact of life: No matter what we do, or how well we do it, it is not possible to please everyone, or guarantee that others will always treat us as we have treated them!
Question: What makes people selfish and mean? And how can we deal with them gracefully without becoming embittered or just like them? One way I have dealt with it has been to buy a professional punching bag!! I know it sounds crazy, but once I learned how NOT to break my wrist while unloading my frustrations on a bag of sand that weighs more than I do, I have found it good therapy and a non-assaultive way to release pent up anger.
Another way is to ‘not sweat the small stuff’…. and as the book of that same title says: It’s ALL small stuff! This is easier said than done, of course, but learning to put things in their proper perspective is a valuable life lesson. My grandmother used to put it another way. She’d say, “In 100 years none of this will matter.” Well, maybe that IS true, but we’re living in the here and NOW, and quite frankly, it IS important to me today! This is especially true if it is an unkind remark that has been hurtful to someone. I bought the above little magnet at Flossies the other day. It has a message that I believe in to my core. Seeing it reminds me that any little kindness that I perform, no matter how small, will make the world a better place … and that is one of the things I believe in most!
I know that the world can be a lovely place.
I do believe that it is a wonderful life.
I have known some beautiful people who might, for all I know, have been angels in disguise … who have restored my faith in human beings…
… but I have also seen a lot of unkindness where there was no call for it. I’ve seen meanness and littleness of spirit. I’ve seen people hurt one another over the smallest of issues. I’ve personally been crushed a few times by uncalled-for criticism. We’ve even been cheated by an unscrupulous uncle and cousin ...
How can we best react to adversity and injustice when it strikes on home turf? How can we deal with dishonorable people without damaging our own integrity or personal wellbeing? These are questions about which I have thought long and hard. We can certainly never stoop to their level. Try as we might to be the best we can be, there will always be someone who will find fault or have no qualms about cheating us. Fact of life: No matter what we do, or how well we do it, it is not possible to please everyone, or guarantee that others will always treat us as we have treated them!
Question: What makes people selfish and mean? And how can we deal with them gracefully without becoming embittered or just like them? One way I have dealt with it has been to buy a professional punching bag!! I know it sounds crazy, but once I learned how NOT to break my wrist while unloading my frustrations on a bag of sand that weighs more than I do, I have found it good therapy and a non-assaultive way to release pent up anger.
Another way is to ‘not sweat the small stuff’…. and as the book of that same title says: It’s ALL small stuff! This is easier said than done, of course, but learning to put things in their proper perspective is a valuable life lesson. My grandmother used to put it another way. She’d say, “In 100 years none of this will matter.” Well, maybe that IS true, but we’re living in the here and NOW, and quite frankly, it IS important to me today! This is especially true if it is an unkind remark that has been hurtful to someone. I bought the above little magnet at Flossies the other day. It has a message that I believe in to my core. Seeing it reminds me that any little kindness that I perform, no matter how small, will make the world a better place … and that is one of the things I believe in most!
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