An eye for an eye

"An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." -Mahatma Gandhi

I've always believed in being good to people regardless of if they have been good to you or not. If another person treats you with unkindness, disrespect, speaks poorly of you, or harms you in any way: that isn't about you. That is an innate conflict they are dealing with. Have empathy while recognizing this, and send love and understanding in their direction. You're probably thinking, that's SO hard...and I agree. It is hard to do sometimes depending upon the severity of the emotional or physical pain they inflicted upon you and it is hard not to be angry and have animosity towards people who treat us wrong, but if we seek vengeance  there will always be this cycle of hatred and negativity. Address the internal pain they are going through and find the strength to forgive and let go. Free yourself of the pain  and put positive energy into the world. We won't get anywhere by treating an unkind act with another unkind act, we must break the cycle and only respond with love and benevolence.

Know Yourself

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." -Aristotle

Intelligence is just speaking from your head, but wisdom is speaking from both your head and your heart together. Knowing your values, your goals, and your needs is a big step in finding out who we truly are as individuals. Once we discover this we learn to never speak with just our heads out of intelligence, but always our hearts as well. Then, our inner light will shine through and touch all those we come in contact with. Your wisdom can inspire others, share what you can whenever possible.

The Other Side of the Report Card

http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2013/08/a_better_education_evaluation.html

Be That One

"Be a blessing to someone today." - Prov 11:25

Often in our daily lives, we don't think about "the little things." We don't consider how holding a door, smiling, or asking "How are you today?" can affect someone. We often say those are just "little" things, and maybe to some of us they are, but to others those simple acts of kindness have a powerful impact.

I once heard a story about a study that was done on the Golden Gate Bridge,  one of the world's most active suicide locations, about a man who wanted just one smile in his direction. He said if one person smiled at him on his way to the bridge or at the bridge, he would not kill himself. ONE person, ONE smile, ONE act of kindness that is thankfully so effortless for us to do.

Be that ONE today to another person today. Smile, say hello, shake someones hand, because you never know...maybe you could literally save a life. Never underestimate the value of being a kind human being.

Is being nice an endangered virtue?

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3624604?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&ir=Education

Being Wrong

It's not a good feeling to realize you were wrong, and it's really not a good feeling when you realize you hurt people you care about. It may not have been intentional, but it still happened. We as humans must apologize and take responsibility for our mistakes, give those we hurt and ourselves time to forgive and accept your apology, and change yourself to make sure it never happens again. "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

Boston Marathon Bombing

May all of us who are safe tonight fall asleep with gratitude, for there are many of our fellow Americans who are morning. The only way to prevent tragedies like these from occurring are to be the change and spread love, kindness, and peace throughout the world. Pray for Boston and those affected at the Boston Marathon.