“To repay evil with goodness is easier, wiser, and more natural than to repay evil with evil. —The Talmud.
May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house. ― George Carlin.
When You Want to Return Evil for Evil Remember This.
In ancient times, they say that, when people wanted to kill a bear; they would hang a heavy log over a bowl of honey. The bear would then push the log to eat the honey. In doing so, the log would swing back and hit the bear—just enough for him to hit it back even harder. This back-and-forth would go on for a while, until eventually, the log catches momentum, with enough power to kill the bear.
It’s a story that often reminds me of how destructive a fuel is anger when we try to return evil for evil.
It is wiser to bear a single injury in silence than to provoke a thousand by flying into a rage. —Read.go
Growing up in a strictly religious household, I’d often get beaten a lot. But to me, at that young age, I couldn’t comprehend that sort of mentality or the logic behind some of these behaviors.
Now fast forward to my early adulthood, I still get haunted by these memories, the mental pictures that make me feel like crap. Now and again when I’d witnessed that sort of behavior taking place (whether around family members or the cat down the road) I’d remind myself or if appropriate, the individual; that God doesn’t take pleasure in this.
I surely don’t find it amusing, or entertaining. So why do we assume our creator does?
It’s wicked to think otherwise.
Returning evil for evil is a descending spiral of bad karma waiting to manifest. Civil rights leader and activist, Martin Luther King, Jr. understood this principle the most when he stated, “The ultimate weakness of violence, is that it is a descending spiral; returning violence with violence only multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.”
Practice Forgiveness
As the bible frames it in Luke 23:33-34 “And when they have come to the place, which is Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors. One on the right, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” You see, the man asked God for forgiveness, despite the pain, and the sorrows he’d endure.
So why can’t we do the same?
As Polymath and writer, J. Wolfgang Von Goethe reminds us, “When we treat our neighbors as they deserve to be treated, we make them even worse. But when we treat them as if they were who we wish they were, we improve them.
And so, whenever we feel the urge to Want to Return Evil for Evil, we must realize that every time we get upset, a little of life leaves our bodies. So forgive them. Forgive yourself for being too harsh in your judgments, and realize, as author Ryan Holiday would say, that “This is not the environment you were made for—to be provoked.
…
There’s a saying that, when we tend to give evil nothing to oppose, it disappears by itself.
Now is not the time to get worked up about a given situation. Instead, you want to respond with kindness toward evil-doers because the opposite rarely works. As King put it, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” For when you see that, you’ll feel compassion, instead of astonishment or rage. So do your best to practice this sort of loving kindness. By doing so, you’ll destroy in an evil person the pleasure he/she derives from evil.
I know of myself that I do not wish to do evil.” remarked the Russian author, Leo Tolstoy “If I do evil, it is because I cannot restrain myself.
It is the same with other people: they usually do evil because they cannot restrain themselves from evil. Therefore, why do I think badly of other people?
Why should I blame them?
As French mathematician and physicist, Blaise Pascal observed, “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”
“When I despair,” explained Mahatma Gandhi, “I remember that all through history; the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it—always.” So why bother getting mad at causes and forces far bigger than us?
As author Karen Casey put it in A Life of My Own, “We have lots more time to take care of ourselves now that we have begun letting others be in charge of themselves.”
To become a part of this nonviolent movement, try these suggestions:
- Catch yourself before reacting to violence of any kind with more violence. Pledge to be an instrument of peace as all our spiritual teachers have encouraged us to be.
- Work on yourself each day to bring a more peaceful stance into your life. Take time to meditate, practice yoga, read poetry, go for solitary walks, play with children and animals, or do anything that gives you the feeling of loving and being loved.
Affirmation for the day:
I will honor everyone’s way of living today. I will meditate on my inner child’s needs today. I will be loving and attentive toward my inner child and other people.
Photo credits: Bear Photo by Janko Ferlic Notebook and Birds are Photos by the author.
Thank you for reading.
