Everything in life can be looked at either positively or negatively. Everything...from losing a job to a loved one dying to wars that destroy lives and kill thousands.
Mom taught me to look at things positively. To always be kind and upbeat, no matter what. It doesn't matter if other people aren't always kind or respectful. All that matters is that I am. Simple as that.
In the beginning, I'd think to myself, well, isn't it natural and normal to respond with anger or annoyance? Don't I have a right to be upset with someone who is being rude to me? Don't I have the right to demand respect from others?
Well, the answer is that it isn't about having a right to anything. It's about what would be best for me and others in the long run.
Anger is like a disease. It hurts you slowly and can spread to others easily. There is no excuse for reacting angrily to something. Ever. No matter what the circumstances are.
Imagine if I had been angry after my mother died. If I had stopped talking to my friends and remaining family members. What would have happened after that? Certainly nothing good. I might have lost my friends and damaged my bond with grandfather, when he needed my help most.
I think about Kyo sometimes.
Kyo is an angry boy. He takes his anger out on anything and everything, from people to inanimate objects to himself. He hates everything. And I still love him despite that. Does that mean I think it's okay for him to be so angry? No, it doesn't. But I also can't tell him how to live his life. Instead, it's best that I show him that I care about him and just be as kind as possible around him. Hope that it might set an example. Hope that it might make him look at things a little differently. Maybe one day he won't be so angry anymore.
After all, every storm ends eventually.
I would have to say that the most difficulty I have had not getting angry at a situation was when mom died. I loved her so much. She really inspired me. When the person who inspired you most dies, it feels like a part of your soul died as well. It feels like you don't know how you'll go on without this person's guidance, without their enthusiasm.
I cried so much after she died. I constantly longed for a shoulder to cry on, and it was always given.
I know mom wouldn't want me to break down like that, though. She wouldn't want me to be mourning her like that. Mom would want me to raise my head and take on life the way that she did after dad died. She'd tell me that death can be looked at in one of two ways – It can be seen as a tragedy or it can be seen as a blessing.
My mom would tell me that I should cherish the memories that I had with her and to look forward, not back.
And I think she's right. I was making myself sick with sadness after she died.
There are two ways to look at any situation that life throws at you.
You can either break down and give up or you can keep moving, keep fighting. Life is hard sometimes, almost impossible, even, but as long as you believe in yourself anything is possible. Because that's all you really need in the end. You. You only have yourself to truly depend on when it counts. Even God is there to simply guide us...not carry us around.
And I do believe in myself.
