Today's
Meditation:
We
tend to have a mistaken idea of what gentleness means.
Many of us think that it's a sign of weakness, that gentle
people are not as "strong" as people who refuse to
show gentleness with others. Gentleness, though, is a
sign of a strength that surpasses mere physical
strength--gentleness shows the stronger side of the human
being when we're willing to treat others gently. It
shows that we don't need to show force to accomplish
important objectives; force is, ironically, a common sign of
weakness, as the person who resorts to force often simply
isn't able to think of other ways of dealing with things.
The
people whom I've witnessed being gentle with others have
been more helpful in the long run than those who refuse to
be gentle. Gentleness, of course, is a long-term
strategy, while the purpose of force is to create immediate,
short-term change. Gentleness is a sign of the
presence of compassion, a sign of great respect for
others: people, animals, and plants alike.
Yes,
there are those who will take advantage of your gentleness,
but they aren't our major concern. Our concern is the
good that we can do for others, and we want that good to
last, don't we? If we're not gentle, things can
break--be they break physical, emotional, or spiritual.
I
can think of a few times of danger and stress when
gentleness may be the least effective approach we can take,
but those times come few and far between. Our
gentleness in our daily lives, though, can help humanity to
create a kinder and gentler world--but it has to start with
us.
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