We live in a world where negative energy is impossible to abolish. There will always be death, people will always have hatred and wars will always rage, whether in our homeland or oceans away.
We must learn to coexist with the bad things life throws at us. But in this coexistence, it is too frequently that I see people embracing the negative sides of things and spreading them like germs.
Since school started two weeks ago, every single conversation I’ve overheard in my classes and around campus has been negative. I stop the music on my iPod a few minutes before class starts to prepare my mind for the lecture. In those few minutes, the people I’m sitting around assault my ears by spewing negative thoughts and mean words.
When I overhear these foul conversations, I think of this quote by Shirdi Sai Baba: “Before you speak, ask yourself: Is it kind, is it true, is it necessary, does it improve upon the silence?”
If I were to ask people if their conversations fit the requirements of the quote, none of them would be able to truthfully say yes.
The other day while walking through the Quad, I overheard a phone conversation that was a perfect example of this ego-obsessed existence many people have. A girl was on the phone, ranting to the person on the other end. She was telling them how one of her friends had a bad day and then proceeded to go off about how her day was way worse than her friend’s. She was being selfish and self-absorbed, unable to understand that people’s strife can’t be compared.
Everyone’s battles are unique to them.
Humans are creatures of survival. Our bodies and minds will do anything they can to fight off death. In the way society has evolved, we also feel this need to survive socially. People put down others in order to raise themselves up. Pleasure is derived from control, control means you have power and power drives the ego.
I’m asking everyone to take a moment here and think about the quote. To be kind is to be friendly, generous and considerate. To be truthful is to base what you say off of hard facts, not judgments and negative assumptions. Most importantly, when you speak, does it improve upon the silence?
Negativity will always exist, and to a certain point, it complements positivity. Without the bad things, people would never be able to properly appreciate the good.
I can’t stop people from gossiping and unfairly passing judgment. Rather than feeling like prisoners to this energy, we should learn to flow in its wavelength without falling prey to its effects. We should acknowledge that it’s there and always work to reverse its effects on people by doing our best to be good and spread positive vibes.
I simply ask that we all reflect on our words before we let them exit our mouths. The thoughtless words of one can have the ability to ruin the day of another. The gift of speech and the power of words are our most powerful attributes as humans. We can hold things with opposable thumbs and we can express ourselves through writing and conversation.
Why not use this amazing gift to try to change the way people think? Let’s spend some more time complimenting people even if we have nothing to gain. Let’s try to understand why people do what they do and believe what they believe before writing them off and immediately judging them.
All the energy you put out into the world shapes your life and will eventually come back to greet you. For this reason alone, why not spend your days spreading the love rather than passing on the hate?