What is that nagging feeling I get when taxi drivers are rude to me, when someone tries to cheat me at the market or when my students don't pay attention to my lesson? Is it anger? No, I don't really get upset. Is it frustration? Maybe, it sure gets me all knotted up sometimes. I want to just "turn the other cheek," but this feeling holds me back.
I'm not sure exactly what the feeling is, but if my conscience is the little angel telling me to do good, then it's another voice, a voice of indifference, that pushes me to be all the things I don't want to be. That voice tells me not to smile, to yell, pitch a fit or even worse--not to care at all. It is what hold us back and keeps us from doing what we know we should. This is a voice of regression instead of progression. Every time we decide to give in and be mad or uncaring, we take many steps back instead of having the courage to place that one foot forward. This commitment to take the steps necessary to make life better is what progress looks like to me.
As much as I would like to believe that these ideas are somehow original to me, they aren't. They are Mother Theresa's, the queen of progress. Whether you are religious or not does not matter. I believe that all people from all backgrounds can read these words with an open mind and sense a timeless message from an amazing human who is no longer with us.
The version found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:
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People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
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"Do it anyway." This is what I have to remember several times a day when I feel underappreciated, disrespected and unloved. If we want to make real progress, we have to do exactly what we don't feel like doing sometimes. It's a daunting task, but I think it's doable.
I don't understand why but I can't get mad at people very often. I realise they are just people. They could be in a bad mood or being rude because they hate themselves, or are having a bad day. I try to see from other points of view. That normally helps.
This allows me to go on and not go off and to try to help other people. Someone out there always appreciates you and you may never even know it. The mother Teresa approach is a good one to go by. I never read it until now. But I have always tried to do good even if the people throw it back in my face. It is worth it in the end because you can never say you didn't try to help someone.
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