Conciliation seems to be a prime corollary of Buddhism, something like Christian forgiveness, but without all the weeping and wailing. And I'm not trying to be cute, but seriously, let it go, 'it' being that reactive stance to any blow to ego, whether full frontal or slight glance, equal in their danger to provoke chain reactions and nonstop confrontation, which should be the last thing that anybody would really want, and the first thing to avoid. In other words, don't take the bait.
Now, I don't know if we're just an argumentative species, or it's a western thing, but the upshot of the modern Social Media (SM?) phase of world history seems to be that we're a bunch of combative SOB's. And, while Buddhism and the other Dharma religions are well-known for advocating the non-violence of ahimsa, I'm not sure but that maybe some damage might already be done by that time. So, I think the great Sufi poet Rumi had a much higher and better standard (yes, Buddhists often copy this):
Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: At the first gate, ask yourself, 'Is it true?' At the second gate ask, 'Is it necessary?' At the third gate ask, 'Is it kind?'
In other words, be better than the other one, the instigator, the troublemaker. Don't respond in kind. You don't have to respond at all. In many instances, that's the best you can do, and there's really nothing better than that. But it's not always easy. And what if they're standing right there and won't let you just walk away? And wouldn't you like to teach the instigator something about the results of his bad speech? Humor is another possibility but be careful. The laughter often works. Regardless, reconcile ASAP. Don't hold grudges, or they will hold you.
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