EVERY WORD FROM OTHERS NEED NOT HAVE A MEANING

 



“People are, often, illogical, unreasonable and self-centered…

 Love them anyway.”

Dr. Kent M. Keith

 

When we say, ‘Humans are complex beings’, it includes all of us. If I think, others’ behaviour is, often, illogical, unreasonable and self-centered, others, by all probability, would think the same way about my behaviour…

People are thankless… Well, people say, I, too, am…

One of the toughest things to do for me is to take things less personally – if not completely avoid taking it so. My interpretations of others’ behaviour – their mood swings, sulkings, reactions, words etc. – are the reasons why there are mood swings and sulkings in me, too.

So, why someone behaves towards me the way he/she does – well, the more I refrain from interpreting and weaving stories around it, the better it is for my mental hygiene…

You see, I have no control on others’ behaviour. Their mood swings, reactions, blame, accusations – are not my creations; it’s their own…

Just as mine…

It’s a tough lesson to learn… That, I am solely responsible for my own behaviour and reactions, and others are for theirs…

This way, I think, I will be able maintain my inner peace in the face of the illogical, unreasonable and selfish behaviour of people around me. Yes, I can still love them despite such a behaviour…

That’s the first in the list of Dr. Kent M. Keith’s list of Paradoxical Commandments…

Reading too much, and too early, into such a behaviour of people around us – particularly of significant people in our lives – can get us into a painful trap of reactive behaviour. It can drain our energy by making us sulk, react, argue… It can, invariably, damage our self-confidence.





On the other hand, when we let others’ behaviour be… never getting entangled, it can be such a self-empowering behaviour from our end. Most of us learn this proactive behaviour the hard way – after a thousand bruises on our hearts…

Love them anyway… Do good to them any way…  Bear gladly…

Every word hurled at you need not have a meaning… Words can be just words…

I am learning, the hard way, to bring in more self-care and more personal meaning into my own behaviour…




Love is a great Paradox, in deed…

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic.: Pixabay

Videos: Dr. Kent M. Keith/Simerjeet Singh

Comments

Anonymous said…
Mental Hygiene - Indeed we need hygiene from negativity. To cut the negativity, accusations, blames so that we dont vent out to form a chain of sufferings...Thank you sir.
July 19, 2025 at 11:44 AM
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