The Narrative

 June 16, 2020

The Narrative

“How would your life be different if…You walked away from gossip and verbal defamation? Let today be the day…You speak only the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

 

 

 

I do not know the extent to which gossip flows from your lips or the length you might go to speak words that are specifically damning of another person. But, as I have caught myself in the midst of such a negative act, I am going to assume that you have done so yourself.

 

When we step back and look at it, our behavior can appear to be justified, even level-minded-“If you only knew what I knew…” And then there are other times that we can step back to look at our words and suddenly realize how ugly they really are.

 

Let’s face it, we’re human beings. We take solace at times through the verbal lashing we apply to some other person while others are listening, and maybe even adding to the assault. I do think that there is a certain amount of catharsis in doing this. There is a problem though if we can never move ourselves out of the act of gossip and defamation, as he calls it above.

 

These are strong feelings, I know. Again, I have them as well. And it seems that we can create and maintain strong bonds with other people when we return to these sessions of verbal tearing down of another. There is a strong attraction that this behavior has on our spirits. So strong that a feeling of satisfaction is gobbled up.

 

And then what?

 

Mr. Maraboli suggests that to continue we would be not living the better life we could be living—if we chose to refrain from that frenzy, and instead to generate new narratives surrounding the person of our dislike, we could live a better life. What do you think?

 

There is a spiritual dictum that says to pray for a person for whom we feel a resentment. We are told to pray for their well-being, for all the good in the universe to come their way, to act as if we had nothing but good to say and see in them. After a short time, we are told that the obsessive hold our resentment has had on us will melt away.

 

What’s interesting about the world, is that it really doesn’t exist anywhere other than within our own thoughts. Take away my thoughts of it, and the rest of reality vanishes. So, if we can change the way we speak of one person or the world or the universe, in our realm we can change the universe. I know this sounds somewhat kooky, but, what does anything matter other than how we as an individual thinks? Face it, the universe is, because I experience it. As far as I experience, without me there is no you. So, why not change how we think of others? We can change the world when we do.

 

I encourage you to look deep within yourself. Find those things or those people most troubling. Start changing the narrative you have created around them. Pray for them. Ask that God and the universe provide them with all that they desire and need and wish for. Begin to consider them your friend for whom you have nothing but good will towards.

 

Fake it, until you make it.

 

What do you have to lose other than dreary thoughts and unhappy words?

 

My heart goes out to you and I want you to know that I continually pray for you.

 

Rev. Ken