When the voice is gentle,
so is the echo.
When the figure stands upright,
the shadow is straight.
– Guishan
I said to a friend recently that my kind actions were simply a reflection of their kind actions. I did not believe they were deserving of special thanks, but the kind return of love perhaps helped the wheel of positivity to keep turning :) We are all just holding up mirrors for each other. That’s why it is much easier to be nice to someone who is nice to you…and much more difficult to be kind to someone who is unkind to you.
Children are the great imitators. And this is why I believe we must be especially careful with how we speak to them, what we say to them, and most importantly what we show them through our actions. The pain that can be created in these young hearts goes on to impact their lives in ways that even they may never understand. Fear, depression, and anger are evidence of the hurt buried deep.
I am always reminded of the words of Thay, “When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment, he needs help.”
This is often difficult, because when someone makes us suffer, we wonder, “What did I do wrong?” When we dwell in the ego…the “I”…we try to fix things. Love and compassion are never wrong, but ultimately, I believe that we are all in different stages of awakening. I simply don’t believe it is healthy to allow yourself to be abused for the sake of another’s awakening. Jesus paid the ultimate price, but still people know not what they do because they have missed the point.
Ghandi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” And it is true, it is only through changing ourselves that we change the world. Each ripple affects to other. If we all talked a little softer, stood a little taller, and loved a little stronger, imagine the example that our children would have to imitate. ;)
Photo source: Reflection by Hormiga
Writer note: This one is dedicated to my sky…who may not see this for many years, if ever. With immeasurable love, light, and endless hope that she may come to know the greatness of the love that exists in her which makes everything else irrelevant. Nothing in the past really matters…what counts is what you decide to do with each new moment we are gifted. One day we will all wake up.