I’ve come to the conclusion that I am against being against and for being for!
Being ‘against’ as a way of life is poisonous. It poisons the people around us and it is corrosive to our well-being. It makes enemies, not friends. It makes excuses for avoidance – not reasons to reach out. It condemns others as the cause of our misfortune – instead of facing up to our realities and doing something positive about them. It leads to jealousy – instead of gratitude for what we have.
Being ‘for’ means looking for the good in someone else – regardless. Being ‘for’ means not being afraid to say sorry – to say ‘help’ – to say, ‘come in’. It looks at differences in other people and wants to find out more about them. It means tolerance and forgiveness. But above all it means looking forward with excitement and back with thanks.
The older I get the more rewarding I am finding life. The older I get, the fewer are the things that annoy me and the greater is my joy at the wonders around me – the wonder of family, friends, work. The wonder of the song of a bird (cockerels at 5 in the morning excluded!), of blue skies and sunshine, of gentle rain on a spring garden, advances in science that free us and heal us, of finding the time to settle to read or watch something that we like. The list is endless if we are ‘for’ – limited and grey and angry if we are ‘against’
So take a look in the mirror and look at the face that the world sees. Is it a face that welcomes or a scowl that rejects?
Are YOU an against – or a for?
John Belfield
RC