I am not a religious man, but I do like this quote!
There is a saying: “Be not overcome with evil; rather, overcome evil with good.” I think we should all take this into consideration. What if we were able to look at life in the same perspective? Picture the last time you sat in rush hour traffic, and a man behind you blew his horn for the fiftieth time. At this point, we have two choices: 1) scream back at him through the opened window, or b) overcome evil with good, and choose to smile.
There is nothing new about evil in the world today. There has always been terrorism; there have always been murders…but the way we choose to live in this world among our fellow brethren is essential to our success as human beings. We are strong creatures, and we know the difference between right and wrong. We need to begin to utilize this sense-of-self and attribute it onto the world around us!
Be Less Critical
Be less critical about those around you. Always remember that we are all human, and we all make mistakes. Without mistakes, we would fail to learn lessons, and those lessons are far too few in this lifetime to decipher without common sense at our side. When you feel that bad part of you beginning to surface, try and take a deep breath, then remember those words: “Overcome evil with good.” When we overcome evil with good, we choose to see bad behavior for what it really is: negative acquisitions.
What would that be? It is our negative emotions passed onto the physical world and attributed onto others, who, in turn, take it out on their families, friends, and loved ones. Do not be less critical of others in the sense of: taking the c**p around us without acting on it. Rather, look at it in opposition: when we are critical of someone, we take into consideration all of the things they would do with our negative behaviors or responses.
In this sense, we are able to see that the man behind us blowing his horn may have had a bad day. By returning the favor, we are quite possibly assailants in that man later abusing his family, his friends, and his loved ones. When we could have simply smiled and waved, instead we allow that man’s hatred into our hearts, and we take it out on our loved ones, and what good does that do? Nothing good for either party!
“I Understand”
I knew a man who once told me he approached his boss one day, after an angry outburst on her part, and said to her: “I understand.” Then he left the boss to decipher this mysterious remark, and returned to his work. The next day, his boss was suddenly nicer; she was less critical of her workers; she was a happier person. And all it took was a simple: “I understand” from a certain worker for this to manifest itself.
When we show others we care about them, or at least sympathize with them, we are overcoming evil with good. And because of these actions, the workers were better at their jobs; they tried harder; they cared more about their work. This was because they had someone among them who decided to risk the heat and said simply: “I understand” to the person who had more problems than they did. Just – that – simple.
Overcome Evil
So what will you do the next time we find evil among us? Overcome it with good nature, high spirit, and integrity. Do not let the world around you bring you down. Instead, be kind and high-spirited to those around us – especially those who show signs of moral deterioration. You may just be saving a life, or improving the way someone deals with their families and friends. Never give in to the darkness around you. Suffice to goodness, and goodness will suffice to you and those around you!
