We all undergo trials and tribulations in life.
Some people are persecuted for their faith and beliefs. Often, when we are impacted by the Word (whether it be from the Bible, buddhist teachings, etc), the evil one comes to try and take away what is in our heart, in an attempt to turn us away.
Some people are persecuted by other people. Often, this persecution persists for years, the reason for which baffles our understanding. Why do these people behave in such unwarranted behaviour towards other people? Sometimes, it is a simple case of insecurity. At other times, it is a case of jealousy. More often than not, we scratch our heads in puzzlement and wonder what we ever did to step on their toes. We try to "let live and let go" because we know that no matter what we say or do, we can never change the other person. However, have you ever encountered the situation where despite your letting go, the persecution nevertheless continues?
A good friend recently shared with me her thoughts on this matter. She said that some people believe that making other people's lives difficult elevates them to a higher status. They are the most pitiful people because they do not have real friends in their environment. She does not think that they can sleep peacefully and so, they always age faster and look unpleasant too. Her advice is that we keep our faith and do what we believe is right. At the same time, we learn to give others some breathing space. We can sleep well because we always have guardian angels watching over us.
Another good pal of mine feels that these people are insecure and attention seeking. She said, "Pray for the Lord to zip their mouth and shut your ears.".
In the past, I had endless queries of "Why? Why? How can it be fair that the perpetrator can continue to behave in such matter to the victim?". Subsequently, I learned that we should "let go" because no matter what we do, we can never change such people. However, I have discovered that sometimes, letting go does not mean that the problem will go away. In fact, often, because we no longer fight back, the wrongdoer gets even bolder and the persecution worsens. I have never viewed it from the perspective that such wrongdoers are pitiful and at the end of the day, they are people who have no peace in their lives. What we see with our physical eyes is that they always get away with doing wrong to others, time and again, and we do not see any "retribution" at the end of the tunnel. It takes strength to say, "I will not let his/her rude behaviour and snide remarks hurt me. He/she is a nobody. Only the One above truly matters. I forgive him/her and I pray for the salvation of his/her soul.". May we all be able to achieve this level of enlightenment one day.
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