Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd
say:
"In this world, Elwood, you must be..." - she always called me Elwood -
"In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant."
Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.
And you may quote me.
(Harvey)
Blogs & chatrooms
One of the problems with the internet is that
it encourages all manner of unpleasantness.
Blogs and chatrooms allow malignant people to insult strangers anonymously.
Bad feeling and gossip are rampant.
Troubled people are free to pour out hatred and malice, with no risk of
consequence.
This is not healthy.
Get help
If you find yourself prowling the web looking for some way to assuage your
boredom and vent your wrath, you may have some problems.
Rather than pour your heart out via your blog, why not talk to a real person?
There are counsellors and therapists in most cities around the world.
Seek them out. Talk to them.
Find a constructive release for your frustrations.
Let a caring professional assist you. Find meaning and balance once again.
Running away
There is no shame in seeking out help.
Not everyone is 'sorted' and happy with their life.
If you are spending your time slouched in front of a computer screen, gleefully
insulting people, you may have a few problems in life.
Running away from your problems by finding an outlet is not necessarily healthy.
It may feel pleasant to express your rage, but does it solve anything?
The rage is still there.
It takes courage to switch off the computer and seek out a real person.
Do not be afraid.
No one will judge you.
Ugly
Modern society features many outlets that encourage unpleasant behaviour.
Television presenters belittle contestants, journalists enjoy ruining
reputations...
People enjoy watching other people suffer.
If you like to see other people being harmed, what does this say about you?
Nothing good, surely?
Gaining pleasure from the misfortune of others is extremely ugly.
Do you like it?
Does anyone enjoy being on the receiving end of abuse?
Nobody sane and healthy.
Who wants to hear ugliness, malice, insults and sarcasm?
No one who respects other people.
Is anger constructive?
Anger is about force, destruction, bullying and frustration. It is the
emotion of impotence.
Can you find peace through conflict?
Hostility perpetuates itself.
Good character
The martial arts have always been associated with good character.
Students are expected to behave in a virtuous manner.
They should be moral and honourable.
The petty, cowardly aspects of modern culture should be beneath the martial
artist.
They have no desire to stoop to gossip, malignant conduct and abuse.
A martial artist is better than that.
They leave unpleasant behaviour to people who need help.
Be nice
This is a good rule to live by: if you don't have
anything pleasant to say, don't say it.
Think about it...
If you watch the old black and white movie Harvey, you appreciate the value of
just being nice to people.
Being nice is a lovely alternative to the bitterness we so commonly encounter in
our culture.
You may even find that you enjoy it...
Be quiet
And if you do not want to be nice, then why not be quiet?
Refrain from being unpleasant.
If one's words are no better than silence, one
should keep silent.
(Kung Fu)
Page created 25 April 2006