dgolds, whom I deeply admire, care for and respect, writes:
But much as I would like to sometimes, I cannot change the people around me. Nor is it my job to.
Precisely my point,
David, there is no possible way to change others' behavior, but we most certainly can change our own behaviors in response to others' and that is very much our job. Changing our own responses to painful external stimuli can be extremely difficult, I will admit, but it can be done if we try very hard and those who are strong enough to learn to change themself receive one of the greatest gifts of all, power over themself. Hoping that I may someday achieve this goal gives me great joy.
dgolds goes on to say:
I think it is more of the kind of situation where children are misbehaving on a flight. Whose fault is it - the children's or the parents'? In my opinion, it's the parents' - they need to lay down the law to the children to a certain extent.
On this board, however, we are dealing almost exclusively with adults and again, my point exactly, they will find great joy when they learn to lay down the law to themself.
We could all, BTW, benefit greatly from emulating the behavior of the one real child that I know of who posts on these boards. Those of you who have met
TWIZ will know that he is a true gentleman.
Dorian, I can only do my best to keep my eyes so 100% wide open that I can remember to
try to be an instrument of peace, even in a world filled with pain and suffering.
You are probably right in that my goal isn't very realistic because I am weak and flawed, but it is exactly my own imperfections that give me hope. If even I can remember to at least keep trying to always respond with love in the face of hate and anger, anybody can do it. We surely won't all succeed all the time, but what a better place this would be if we all kept trying.
[This message has been edited by Punki (edited 03-03-2001).]