Isn’t it frightening to see how people mistreat each other? It seems to be the rule that if a person makes a mistake, they are out. Is there no mercy anymore? Doesn’t every person need mercy everyday? I know that I do. I need mercy and not judgment.
Every kind of relationship that we have is in serious trouble if there is no mercy. Adopting a merciful attitude toward mistakes can save every relationship that we cherish. We need to develop a long fuse instead of a short one that explodes at every mishap that comes our way. Trying to keep our heads above water is hard enough today without other people trying to push us under.
In every home, school, community there are people with bad habits. Sometimes we may need to point this out to others but surely we don’t have to mention every little mistake. Nobody likes to be nagged about the little things we do that irritate others. “You forgot to replace the toilet paper, you never put the seat down, you leave on all the lights, you never have meals done on time, you forgot to rinse the tub, you forgot to take out the garbage, and on, and on, and on.” Is it so hard to keep our mouths shut?
We can’t change people but we can change our hearts. We may try to put people in a box with rules and regulations but they will always find a way out. We need to overlook the little hurts, oversights, misunderstandings, lapses and other sins. We need to refuse to be insulted by anyone. Life is too short to be pouting, giving the cold-shoulder treatment, murmuring and complaining about everything. Be an eagle if you have to, soaring alone, above the pettiness of those who find fault with everything.
There was an interesting survey of 14 countries by the World Health Organization that shows that the US has the highest rate of mental disorders (anxiety, mood disorders, impulse-control, substance abuse/dependence). Those countries are:
Nigeria - 4.7%, Italy - 8.2, Japan - 8.8, Germany - 9.1, Beijing, China - 9.0, Spain - 9.2, Belgium - 12.0, Mexico - 12.2, Netherlands - 14.9, Lebanon - 16.9, Colombia - 17.8, France - 18.4, Ukraine - 20.0, US - 26.4
Maybe it is hard to be an eagle when so many turkeys surround us. We need to try.