July 02 … Loving your “Enemies”
Every “enemy” we have ever had in our lives and every “criminal” we have ever judged has a secret history of pain and struggle for Goodness that – if we were truly aware of it – would make us blush over the raw incorrectness of our condemnation. And indeed, as human beings it is possible for us to choose instead to look upon the “weaknesses” of others with empathy. For it is a patent Truth that we all are born into fleshly vessels that, by their very nature, tempt us to engage in selfish “wrongdoings.” And while this is no excuse for the evils that we and others have committed, we can choose to extend Kindness nonetheless. Goodness doesn’t condone evil, and yet it does extend Compassion to the mistakes that evildoers make … So keep this in mind today, realizing that the arrogant in your life were taught powerlessness, and are ready to receive your Respect; that the stern in your life were taught anger, and are ready to receive your Gentleness; that the aggressive in your life were taught helplessness, and are ready to receive your Encouragement; that the shaming in your life were taught manipulation, and are ready to receive your Caring; that the malicious in your life were taught cowardice, and are ready to receive your Compassion; that the condemnatory in your life were taught hopelessness, and are ready to receive your Acceptance; that the superficial in your life were taught avoidance, and are ready to receive your Intimacy; that the deluded in your life were taught hypocrisy, and are ready to receive your Honesty; and that the evil in your life were taught fear, and are ready to receive your Love … And with this in mind, list five (5) people who “hate”&/or who annoy you. If you are one of the few who hates no one & you are not currently annoyed by anyone else, choose three (3) people who “hate”, are annoyed by, &/or radically misunderstand you. Then go forth and do an anonymous kind deed for each of them today.
Bonus Activity: A powerful way to Serve is to make injustice visible to those who are perpetrating it. And the only way to effectively do so is to forgive those perpetrators publicly in the moments that they are doing so. With this in mind, look for acts that are unjust &/or unkind &/or callous today. When you see one, choose to courageously and loudly (and gently) forgive its “perpetrator.”
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