Daily, we are tempted to react and get revenge for those that are rude, crude, and just plain mean. Like the boy in this “block of mercy” cartoon, we want to get even before we think of forgiveness.
Mercy can be hard, can’t it? It’s especially hard with siblings. The only time siblings feel like giving mercy is when they are the ones in need of it. Just ask my siblings. I got much more mercy than I deserve. Wait a minute… you can’t earn mercy, can you? Because if it is deserved, it isn’t mercy.
This week has been full of international turmoil. We see images of war and destruction coming out of Ukraine and wonder how people can be so cruel to others. It reminds me of a quote Aleksander Solzhenitsyn said about the line between good and evil.
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart —and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained.”
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 (Abridged))
Each day, we have a choice on which side of the line we cross.
Good is worth fighting for! Throughout history, we have seen violence and barbarism directed against others. And unfortunately, we have seen individuals hide behind the actions of their country and claim they were only doing what their leaders told them to do.
Yet, all nations are made of individuals. Each of us has the choice between good and evil every day. While we can justify any actions, in the end, we are all accountable for our individual actions.
Too often, we ask, “What can I do? I’m just one person.” Indeed, what can we do when there is so much evil in the world?
When each of us chooses to do good towards others, we sow seeds of goodness. Consequently, when we sow seeds of evil, we reap what we sow.
Solzhenitsyn paid a price for choosing good and standing up against evil. We too can be part of the problem or the solution. Each one of us is required to make the choice as we stand on the line between good and evil.
Ooh! That choice may come back to haunt him! But I can relate. My inner child likes to make gluttony an Olympic sport. I’ve been called a cookie monster fairly recently. I have made my way through scores of cakes, pies, and assorted baked goods over the years. They would probably fill an Olympic size pool.
We have the freedom to make bad choices every day. Of course, there is always a price to pay. If I didn’t attempt to control my appetite and never exercised, I could be facing a much heavier body with chronic illness. But that would be my choice.
I could choose to weigh thirty pounds heavier as I did twenty years ago. It would be my choice, because as Zig Ziglar said, “I never accidentally ate anything!”
Some bad choices are made knowing there are consequences. Some are made out of ignorance. We can be foolish and choose to ignore the wisdom that can save us from heartache. Some bad choices are made out of entitlement. We think we deserve something so we feel justified in making that choice.
But when we make a bad choice, let’s be honest enough to admit it was our choice. It does no good to blame others for our bad choices. It reminds me of this proverb:
The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord.
Proverb 19:3 KJV
Yes, we have the freedom to make bad choices. But we also have the responsibility to own up to them. The next time I see a plate of cookies (especially chocolate chip cookies), I will probably indulge. But I won’t blame anyone but me if I gain a few pounds.
Like many of us, I have a bad case of FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. I like to be in the know. After all, if I am going to blog anything, I need to have information, right? If I am going to write about a business trend or positive philosophy, I need to be in the know, right?
My wife kids me when I get alerts for Twitter accounts I follow. I get breaking news alerts for the latest doom and gloom news. Occasionally, I need to put my phone on “Do Not Disturb” in order to break my train of thought. Even then, it is too easy for that thought train to derail and spill my brain granules all across the landscape.
In the pre Internet years, we had information gatekeepers in the form of editors and television producers. They sorted through all the junk for the public. Now, anybody with a phone can be an information provider. In one alert, I see news about a homicide, SWAT standoff or traffic travesty. The next moment, I get an alert about twenty surly kittens that will make you laugh your socks off. Even if I was doing nothing at the time, that is quite a whiplash of discordant information!
I know! Just the fact that I am writing a blog contributes to this tsunami. My goal is to contribute positively and be an encouragement in a negative world. Still, Here is one more town crier attempting to make his voice heard above the crowded field.
So here is for myself and for others that are feeling the same information wave overtake them.
FOMO and bad news can affect my productivity. I choose to have more than a Breaking News! perspective.
The past can feel like a clutter of regrets the wrong choices and burdens. It can be easy to play the what-if game.
Our life can become a cluttered room of past choices if we hold onto things. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Every new day gives us a clean slate. Instead of holding onto regrets, we can choose to learn from the past, let go of it and move forward.
Whatever your story, whatever your past, today is a brand new day. It is a clean slate. Start cleaning and make the best of it.