Saturday, February 24, 2007
What You Resist You Become
In a twist of irony life seems to mandate that we become what we most resist. This is part of the paradoxical nature of life itself as we mature and experience more.
How many people have said they resisted becoming like their parents only to find themselves treating their own children in the same manner they were treated. How many have done the pendulum swing reacting against going to church like their parents and later in life finding peace and solace in being born again?
My father told me he would never have a black dog or own a Ford. He has owned both. I hate to think of the times I have eaten my own words. We take a stand and then later find ourselves in a situation where we are on the opposite side. How can this be?
The simple answer is that nothing is really true unless its opposite is equally true. You can love a child to the point they never grow up as self supporting individuals. When you do everything for a child they do not learn to do things for themselves. Tough love is a very hard thing for a parent to learn and to appreciate.
Failure and making mistakes is a painful process, especially watching our children make mistakes. The truth is we learn from our mistakes and they make us stronger. At least they can if we let them.
It is easy to condemn Hitler for his unhuman treatment of Jewish prisoners in the death camps. Still we benefit from limb and organ transplants and other scientific discoveries pioneered in Nazi Germany. This paradox goes on and on.
There is an old saying, "When you point one finger at someone else you have three others pointing right back at you". Try it and you will see how true it is. We each contain within us the capacity for enormous good and evil. Love of self must compete daily with love of others and both are important. There is great risk when you neglect either one.
As we mature we realize that if we give too much to others we become too weak to survive on our own and become a burden to others. We become a burden because we gave too much and couldn't take care of our own needs.
In like manner when we are too self centered and self absorbed people will turn away from us. If we want to be treated well by others we need to be decent to them as well.
There is an old proverb about a King that was known for his kindness and generosity. His subjects were taxed very lightly. The king required only what he needed to run the palace. He had no food put away in store houses for insurance against hard times. A seven year drought ruined the crops in his kingdom and he was forced to take food from his own starving subjects. They rebelled against him and had him executed.
The neighboring kingdom was ruled by a mean and cruel king that taxed his subjects heavily and took much more than he needed to keep the palace in luxury. What he didn't use he placed in warehouses to sell. He was universally hated and despised. The same seven year drought ruined the crops in his kingdom as well. He was forced to open his warehouses and distribute food for his subjects to eat. Overnight he became a hero and lived a long and respected life.
The moral to this story is that it is easier for a mean and cruel tyrant to become loved than it is for a kind and gentle ruler to save his own life in times of disaster.
When our position is secure and our cup overflowing we can give the surplus to others and they can share in our bounty. In this manner we can support them through hard times until they get on their own feet once more.
If we overextend and give until we are at risk we fail ourselves and those we love in times of crisis and disaster. There will always be times of crisis and disaster. If we are prepared we can confront the crisis and be strong enough to help others when they need us most. Take care of yourself so you are strong enough to take care of those that love you and depend on you.
Anarchist World Live Join the Revolution today! Online rss community of free men and free women. Let Freedom Ring!
How many people have said they resisted becoming like their parents only to find themselves treating their own children in the same manner they were treated. How many have done the pendulum swing reacting against going to church like their parents and later in life finding peace and solace in being born again?
My father told me he would never have a black dog or own a Ford. He has owned both. I hate to think of the times I have eaten my own words. We take a stand and then later find ourselves in a situation where we are on the opposite side. How can this be?
The simple answer is that nothing is really true unless its opposite is equally true. You can love a child to the point they never grow up as self supporting individuals. When you do everything for a child they do not learn to do things for themselves. Tough love is a very hard thing for a parent to learn and to appreciate.
Failure and making mistakes is a painful process, especially watching our children make mistakes. The truth is we learn from our mistakes and they make us stronger. At least they can if we let them.
It is easy to condemn Hitler for his unhuman treatment of Jewish prisoners in the death camps. Still we benefit from limb and organ transplants and other scientific discoveries pioneered in Nazi Germany. This paradox goes on and on.
There is an old saying, "When you point one finger at someone else you have three others pointing right back at you". Try it and you will see how true it is. We each contain within us the capacity for enormous good and evil. Love of self must compete daily with love of others and both are important. There is great risk when you neglect either one.
As we mature we realize that if we give too much to others we become too weak to survive on our own and become a burden to others. We become a burden because we gave too much and couldn't take care of our own needs.
In like manner when we are too self centered and self absorbed people will turn away from us. If we want to be treated well by others we need to be decent to them as well.
There is an old proverb about a King that was known for his kindness and generosity. His subjects were taxed very lightly. The king required only what he needed to run the palace. He had no food put away in store houses for insurance against hard times. A seven year drought ruined the crops in his kingdom and he was forced to take food from his own starving subjects. They rebelled against him and had him executed.
The neighboring kingdom was ruled by a mean and cruel king that taxed his subjects heavily and took much more than he needed to keep the palace in luxury. What he didn't use he placed in warehouses to sell. He was universally hated and despised. The same seven year drought ruined the crops in his kingdom as well. He was forced to open his warehouses and distribute food for his subjects to eat. Overnight he became a hero and lived a long and respected life.
The moral to this story is that it is easier for a mean and cruel tyrant to become loved than it is for a kind and gentle ruler to save his own life in times of disaster.
When our position is secure and our cup overflowing we can give the surplus to others and they can share in our bounty. In this manner we can support them through hard times until they get on their own feet once more.
If we overextend and give until we are at risk we fail ourselves and those we love in times of crisis and disaster. There will always be times of crisis and disaster. If we are prepared we can confront the crisis and be strong enough to help others when they need us most. Take care of yourself so you are strong enough to take care of those that love you and depend on you.
Anarchist World Live Join the Revolution today! Online rss community of free men and free women. Let Freedom Ring!
Who knows why one person gives up and dies while another struggles on through overwhelming odds and comes out on top? We all want to survive. But are we willing to do what needs to be done?
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# posted by anarchistbanjo @ 3:22 PM 
