ANIMAL ABUSE

    My mother used to say that if a person abused an animal, they will abuse another human being. I have seen this truth play out in the world, more times than I care to mention. Animals are the most innocent and pure souls on this planet, and how someone can abuse them and treat them as if they were emotionless "things" is beyond me. If a person can beat, torture, kill and abandon one of these innocent creatures, and have no conscience over it, imagine what they are capable of doing to another human being. If mankind constantly slaughters poor animals and tears up the land, robbing them of their natural home and habitat... what will he do to his fellow man? I suppose the answer to that is seen in the media every day. How can we truly learn kindness and compassion when we discard and harm the purest creatures on the earth?

EMOTIONAL SLAPS

    How would you feel if you were going through your day, happy, content and peaceful. You were doing your job, happy with your performance, taking care of your family and being there for friends in need. Then suddenly, someone; the boss, your spouse or a friend just cuts you verbally for no reason. Maybe they call your stupid, worthless, out of your mind or just plain start treating you poorly with a disgruntled attitude and sharp tongue. Chances are, you would feel shocked, hurt, angry, sad, confused or perhaps like your good intentions didn't matter. You might even feel unappreciated, deflated or overlooked.

    Now think about this: how many times do people do that to one another in a day, a week a month, a year? Co-workers, husbands and wives, friends etc... How often do we find ourselves stressed out or anxious over something and snap at someone who didn't deserve it? We were cruel, unfriendly, demeaning or even insulting. Imagine how that makes the other person feel... think about how you feel when it happens to you. We should all think before we speak, and treat one another with a little more consideration and kindness in our day. Just think how different our lives would be if everyone considered the next persons feelings and stopped giving one another emotional slaps.

WISDOM

    Do not be the kind of person who speaks much and claims to know everything. But rather, listen much, and when you do speak; do so with true understanding and humbleness. It is not true wisdom to insert your opinion on every matter, or try to take charge of every circumstance. Sometimes the greatest thing you can do is hold your tongue and just let the other person be wrong if that is what he chooses to do. This is far better than scattering many words with arrogance only to find out that your sliver of truth was not the entirety of the matter either.

KNOW THYSELF

    Most things that you react to negatively in your life are the results of past programming. If you really sit and think about all the things that frighten you, make you feel sorrow, anger, abandoned or whatever; and trace it back to its origins, you will find that it was either instilled by another persons irrational fears or a painful circumstance in your life. The way to do this is to call to mind something that really bothers you and causes negative emotions. Then ask yourself, when was the first time in life that I felt this way? Recall the event and remember as many details as you can. Next, ask yourself, was there an earlier time in life that I felt this way... Keep doing this and trace the event as far back as you can in your life. Once you do this, you will discover that either you have taken on another individuals fears, or you are reacting to some past occurrence that impacted you sharply at some point in your life. Once the origin of the trouble has been pinpointed, you can deal with it in a more rational way and dispel of the mental/emotional irritant and be free.