How much time do we spend reflecting on our actions and thoughts?
A few hours a day?
A few hours a week?
A few hours a month?
A few hours a year?
Never?
If we are not making time to reflect then we to need to hit the pause button and reevaluate our state of mind and heart. We need to realign the wheels of our hearts to ensure that we are staying on the right track. In particular, how often is mercy a factor in our thoughts and actions? If the answer is not always, then we need to spend more time in self-reflection. Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.
Lacking in self-reflection results in a lack of mercy. Unfortunately, many people, young and old, are missing this component from their daily routine. The loss of this reflection leads to a misguided state of mind and ultimately affects behavior. This state/behavior is typically seen in adolescents, specifically, bullies. We normally attribute bullying with this younger social group. However, bullying has been rampant between adults in an all walks of life. This bullying may be subtle or blatantly obvious yet disguised.
For example, some followers and leaders of various movements believe they are fighting for a righteous cause. Their movements flow under the guise of righteousness and justice. In reality they are blinded by a hate driven agenda. Their self-righteousness darkens their hearts on a daily basis. They refuse to have empathy or listen to reason. They cannot or will not imagine walking in someone else’s shoes. They have removed any atoms weight of mercy from their hearts. They have filled their minds and hearts with hate, anger and vengeance.
These people are truly the psychologically and spiritually weak. They feel power and control by putting others down. This psychology is similar to that of bullies and/or of those who have failed in some aspect of their life. In order to feel accomplished and successful they try to harm others or drag others down to their level. Their poisoned hearts are destroying everything in their path without regard to the harm they cause others. They justify their actions because they need the attention by any means necessary. Collateral damage has been completely justified in their minds and hearts.
The positive thing about these people is that they still have a mind and a heart. As long as these two are functioning there is hope. The easiest step to curing this weakness is to start self-reflecting.
I hope this piece will revive our hearts and minds with intellect, love and mercy.
Have a moment of reflection
an introspection
an injection
to purify the infection
I urge all of us to reflect on the following questions.
Which category do you fall in?
Mercy or punishing?
What is your driving factor?
Love or hate?
What is the better state?
What is your goal?
To help or harm?
Have you blinded your heart with rage?
Have you biased your aims with hate?
Is it courage to cowardly hurt others?
Is it justice to push your unjust agenda?
Do you preach tolerance yet embody intolerance?
Do you preach love yet embody hate?
Do you claim to fight for victims by creating them?
Do you claim to be righteous by acting malicious?
When you are given advice do you become haughty?
Is there not a cell of mercy left in your body?
When you are asked for relief, do you persist on harming?
