Hatred is never anything but fear - if you feared no one, you would hate no one.
—Hugh Downs
On those occasions when we find the bigger man within, we are more generous in spirit toward others. But sometimes we think too much about what is wrong with others and how they ought to change. That is a form of hate. If we are searching for what we have power to change in our families, in our friendships, in the world, we can learn to be big enough to set aside our fears.
Do we bear ill will toward someone today? When we are honest with ourselves, do we feel a sense of fear in relation to this person? What are we really afraid of? Perhaps the same person fears us. When we can do something about our fear, the hatred melts with no further effort. Then we are in touch with the bigger man within.
I have the inner strength to face my fears today. I will not send them outward as hatred.
From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©
To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves.--- Will Durant
Sometimes we say bad things about others. When we do this, it makes us look bad too. Our friends worry what we might say about them behind their backs. They're afraid to trust us. We become known as gossips. The things we say about other people tell a lot about us. We are kind or unkind. We gossip or we don't. This doesn't mean we have to say everyone is wonderful all the time. As we work our program to see ourselves better, we begin to see other people more clearly too. We see their strong points and their weak points. But we can know these things without gossiping about them.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see others clearly, and in their best light. Let me bring out the good in others.
Moments of perception can build into a lifetime of spiritual serenity,
as I have excellent reason to know.
Roots of reality, supplanting the neurotic underbrush,
will hold fast despite the high winds of the forces which would destroy us,
or which we would use to destroy ourselves.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 173
Thought to Ponder . . .
Serenity isn't freedom from the storm; it is peace within the storm.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
K I S S = Keep It Serenely Simple.
You are life experiencing the beauty and miracle of itself, blissfully and powerfully aware of your own awareness. Nothing you strive for or fight over could be more monumental than that.
You long to create beautiful moments, and your ambitions can indeed bring much new beauty into existence. Always keep in mind, though, that you already have an exquisitely beautiful moment, and it is here, now.
There is plenty of space and opportunity for real meaning and fulfillment right now, where you are. Instead of hurrying on to something you perceive as being more, feel the fullness of joy that is already a part of you.
Bring all the power of the sweet experiences you fondly recall, and the future joy you wish to create, into making new, fulfilling meaning in this moment right now. This here and now is where you belong, and where you can always be your very best.
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