"If a person seems wicked, do not cast him away. Awaken him with your words, elevate him with your deeds, repay his injury with your kindness. Do not cast him away; cast away his wickedness."
--Lao Tzu
I have not yet learned to rule my tongue, nor am I a beacon of kindness, but lately, I have been shaken by the blatant disrespect, disregard, blaming, backbiting, jeering and contempt spewing forth, as so much poisonous venom, not only by strangers, but those who I have considered to be thoughtful and kind. I read somewhere that in order to know what kindness really is, you have to lose it. I have observed so much loss around me which has forced reflection on the loss within me. It is easy to want the world to change, but it is so much more work to accept that mine is the only soul I can claim captain of. Yet, I am motivated, for against this backdrop of caustic contention, I have noticed the power emanating from those who consistently choose not to tread in that murky water, but use their worded wings to soar.
So, today I recommit to nurturing kindness in my heart, on my lips, and that kindness that comes out on keyboards through my fingertips. To all of those who blaze those trails privately and publicly, and understand that "a soft answer, turneth away wrath," today I am grateful for you.
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