Have you ever gotten mad at someone for screwing up your day? Or you have been convinced that a ‘corporation’ or ‘those people’ were out to get you?
Unfortunately, the truth is,
no one does wrong intentionally
– it’s all accidental.
Outside of cartoon super-villains and the occasional sociopath, people don’t get up in the morning and think, “I’m going to wreak havoc on a whole bunch of people today.” (OK, there are some who do, but it’s very, very few. For the most part, everyone is trying to do good. At least they believe they’re doing the right thing. Even people who lack the ability to understand moral decisions don’t think they’re doing wrong, either. In fact, they often believe they’re better than everyone else. They might have grandiose plans that cause trouble – but deep down, they’re certain their plans are “right” and for the greater good. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be carrying them out.)
While this idea is hard to accept, it’s true – no one does wrong willingly.
Wrong happens by accident – unintentionally.
Those who ‘perpetrate wrong against us’ feel justified in their actions, just like we feel justified in our lives and in our actions. The difference is that when we make a mistake, we think we ought to be excused. When we make a mistake, we want to be pardoned. (But if they do wrong against us, it’s a different story.)
We all feel justified in what we are doing almost 100% of the time. This concept can help us in our spiritual-religious lives.
If we can learn to pardon others for unintentionally making our lives more difficult… and if we don’t take things so personally, then we’d be much lighter in spirit.
This is not easy. It takes great practice to not get angry at someone after they happen to commit some undesirable action against you. Dare I say, “Turn the other cheek” even if it is pointing the cheek of your posterior at them.
The familiar prayer comes to mind: “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
This week’s spiritual-religious advice:
When wrong happens, practice being patient and forgiving.
With love,
