A very wise man once noted that instances of extreme suffering will cause the one experiencing them to become either extremely gentle or extremely cruel … Well, this stark choice is not reserved merely for those living exceptional lives or those enduring radical circumstances.  Indeed, throughout the course of all our lives, each & every one of us experience regular inflictions of extreme pain or extreme injustice or extreme callousness or extreme rejection.  And every time we do so — every time we endure such suffering, each & every one of us can choose how we will respond to the enemies who bestow such pains upon us … Please consider:

 

*We can reasonably choose to lash out in self-defense, or we can bravely choose to reach out with Compassion … Choose to show Compassion!

 

*We can understandably choose to impose “fair punishment” on those who have wronged us, or we can humbly choose to reach out to them with Kindness … Choose to be Kind!

 

*We can in all fairness choose to live lives insulated by “prudent caution” around strangers, or we can choose to reach out to them all with Caring … Choose to openly Care!

 

 

Yes, my Friends, life will continue to give us all many very good reasons to live our lives steeped in anger &/or soaked in fear, and yet Love remains always an option …

… so choose LOVE!

 

 

 

 “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by heartfelt understanding.” ~ Albert Einstein 

 

 “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only Love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King

 

“I’m convinced we have each been endowed with a beautiful heart. We may not always see it. We may not even believe it, and yet it’s a gift that came with birth nonetheless.  And every time we act selflessly, that beautiful heart grows a little” ~ via Steve Goodier

Filed under: Practical Tips for Peace-full Living by Scaughdt