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Today's
Quotation:
If everyone were clothed with
integrity, if every heart were just, frank, and kindly, the
other virtues would be well-nigh useless, since their chief
purpose is to make us bear with patience the injustice of
our fellows.
Moliere
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Today's
Meditation:
Sometimes
I try to imagine what the world would be like if no one was
selfish, insecure, violent, angry, manipulative, aggressive,
or anything else negative. I wonder what it would be
like if all were patient and kind and loving, with a strong
sense of self-esteem and a feeling that they were
loved. If this were so, imagine all of the things that
we wouldn't have to do, all of the things that we wouldn't
have to spend our time on.
As
Moliere says, we wouldn't even need virtues such as
patience, forbearance, or forgiveness if everyone acted with
integrity and kindness, for we wouldn't have to react to
some of the awful, inconsiderate things that we have to
react to now. What would our world be like then?
I
can't make other people act the way I want them to act, of
course, but I can decide how I want to act. I can
decide to model those virtues that I find to be
desirable. I can act how I think is most appropriate
and most helpful to the world in which I live. How I
act or react each day to each situation is up to me, and
while I would like to see others act in loving ways, their
actions aren't under my control, so I can't lose my peace of
mind trying to make them into something they may not be.
What
virtues are the most important to you? You can try to
live them out, if you really want to. And if you do
so, those around you won't have to practice the other
virtues that come about because of other people's
actions. I hope that as few people as possible need to
forgive me for my inconsideration or rudeness, and the only
way I can ensure that is by not being inconsiderate or rude. That's one of the easier ones, of course, but it
still takes some effort sometimes.
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