Be kind than right

There is a saying that goes “Be kind than right”. I think it’s a great saying. But do I get to practice it….perhaps not as much as I should. But I certainly do think a lot about it time and again. I think its an effort to be Kind. Its not with intention that one is unkind, but more the instinct to be right that makes one unkind

What is being right? Who defines being right or wrong? It’s a relative term after all. As a mother I may take the liberties in defining what is right and wrong for my children. But for how long can I do that? At three, one may think its just fine to be digging into the garden mud to help out a struggling worm . But at 30 , it would be disgusting and “wrong” to do something so “unhygenic’! At 30, I might refuse to forgive someone who might have hurt me. At 60, my mom would think I am being so ‘wrong” not be able to forgive. I think that kind of relativity continues until perhaps some kind of enlightenment!!!

For my nature, when I am in a confrontation I can never get to have the outburst that I might like to!!! I tend to hold back and perhaps have a more internal conversation. As post analysis I keep wondering if I should have said something to prove my point. Perhaps staying silent is not a very effective way of making a point!!!! On the other hand, people who tend to “speak their mind” have often expressed regret about spilt words.

I heard an interesting view from Dr. Wayne Dyer, a great inspirational speaker, that one of the ways to reduce mental stress is to condition ourselves with a saying that goes “ What someone else thinks of me is none of my business”. He says it will help us overcome many obstacles we tend to face. The key word here is “mind conditioning” It’s a time consuming process before one can efficiently make use of it. After all man is a social animal always looking for appreciation and acceptance in the society.

But I guess finally variety of personalities is what makes the world interesting!