Читать книгу Living Long, Living Passionately - Karen Casey - Страница 12

Mother Teresa says be kind to everyone, and start with the person standing next to you. I love the simplicity of that suggestion. Don't you? We aren't asked to evaluate anything about the person. Her dress, his fingernails, the frown or the easy smile. The sound of her voice isn't the determiner of our reaction. Nor is what he says to us or to anyone else. Very simply, just be kind. No matter what.

As I age, I appreciate Mother Teresa's words even more. I think we all want meaningful lives. We all want to look back as well as forward with a sense of peace about how we have lived and how we intend to live as the days ahead turn into weeks and years. Regrets? Of course I have some. But they will be fewer if I apply Mother Teresa's tiny suggestion.

This suggestion also reminds me of what mothers used to tell us as children: “If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all.” Kindergarten logic, it was called. But it was wise beyond measure, I think. Adopting this philosophy as one's guidepost for living will have a major impact not only on your own sense of wellbeing and what you can contribute to the others in your circle, but also on men and women, children and young adults around the globe. What we do in one place with one person has a ripple effect that knows no end. Seem farfetched? Not at all. Some scientists call it the “butterfly effect.” I love the truth of it. It means we are helping, or hurting all others everywhere with every action we take. Making the decision to be kind, simply kind, always, is one way each of us can add benefit to the world we share. Why not give it a try?

In order to make good use of Mother Teresa's suggestion, let's inventory our actions of late, and then monitor them in the future for a period of time. Why? That's the only sound way we can be certain we are becoming the people we'd rather be. Now I don't want to push you into a corner, so if this exercise doesn't appeal to you, at least not at the present time, that's okay. Move on to another essay and discover how it might speak to you. But I'm inclined to think that many of us really do want to change how we respond to the people around us. And because treating one person well actually treats many people well, it's a simple way to make a very important contribution to the human community.

Looking at the recent past:

1. What instances can you recall when you could have shown a kinder hand to the people or person you were having an exchange with? If you were to re-experience that encounter, how would you prefer showing up? Take a moment to write about it in your journal. We make changes more easily when we put them in writing.

2. Please share those times when you could have celebrated how you behaved. What feedback did you receive from the person or people involved? What has it taught you about your future?

3. Being who we want to be is little more than a decision. The decision to be kind is really an easy one to make. And it relieves us of all stress. We know, without even thinking about it, what we will do in every encounter. Every one.