Finding Peace

"Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace." Buddha

I think one of the things a person really needs is peace in their lives. I really resonate to today's quote from my Oriental Wisdom Calendar. Resentment can churn up so many negative emotions inside of a person and make life miserable. It is one of the things that I try hard to eliminate from my life.

One of the emotions that goes hand in hand with resentment is envy. I have known people who resent the success or abilities of a person and that resentment is invariably accompanied by envy. The two emotions turn the person into a bitter person who then attacks the object of their envy.

I am always happy when I see a person succeed at something. I believe each of us has a talent and that with the right support and encouragement anyone can succeed. I love the Special Olympics because it shows the world that handicaps are not barriers to success. Anyone can be a winner if they try.

I have come to realize that the times I have been personally attacked it has been by people who envy the fact that I am loved and respected by so many people. I have God given talents that I use and share with other people. I am open and honest. Their are people who resent anyone else succeeding because they are so insecure that they think it reflects badly on them if they aren't the center of attention.

It comes down to I and you centric beings. A small child is I centric. Their world revolves around them. As a child matures they start to realize that their are other beings who have needs and wants in addition to their own. A mature person becomes you centric. They start thinking of others in addition to themselves. Some people however never get beyond the I centric stage and even as adults feel they have to be the center of attention. Only they have ideas, abilities, etc. that are important. You is only there to take attention away from them.

One of the reason I avoid political blogs is the ego of so many of the writers. The blogger acts like they are the only person in the world with the right opinion. They rarely write about a situation without injecting their almighty opinion as to what really needs to be done. If only the world would listen to them then everything would be all right. They don't promote debate just monologues.

So today's challenge for me is to try and keep resentment out of my life. Okay I do resent that stupid alarm clock waking me up since it was such an interesting dream.