The One Key to Enhance Your Life—and Possibly Change the World
Say no to contempt. Treat others with love and respect, even when it’s difficult.
Arthur C Brooks, Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt
How do feuds start?
No one knows.
Each side has its own origin narrative. After a few cycles of back-and-forth aggression, the contempt is deeply ingrained. No amount of reason or dialog can compete with the feelings of moral superiority and the desire for total annihilation.
Every slight is amplified.
Grudges are nursed until they grow into self-righteous vendettas.
Life now has meaning and purpose: “to rid the world of you and your kind.”
When you are fighting against such a despicable enemy, any tactic is permitted.
This is reality for many in our culture.
But it doesn’t have to be.
We can fight back.
We can fight the temptation to demonize anyone who promotes different views.
We can respect them as human beings who have value no matter what they think or believe.
We can connect with them in the areas where we do agree.
These are the attitudes and behaviors of mature and honest adults.
They don’t require any change by anyone else.
They are simply choices that we make.
With time, it is possible that “those people” will follow our lead and become more accepting.
But there is no guarantee.
The changes we make cannot be motivated by the hope that they will also change.
We change our behavior because a world with more love and less contempt is a better place to live, no matter what others do.
The more accepting and accommodating we are, the more peace and tranquility we experience internally.
These changes feel difficult at first. But they are not as hard as we think.
And they become easier with time.
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