Do Not Repay evil for evil

It’s not worth it and here’s why.

May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house. ― George Carlin.

Do not repay evil for evil, and here’s why:

In ancient times they say that, when people wanted to kill a bear, they would hang a heavy log over a bowl of honey.

The bear would then push the log to eat the honey. In doing so, the log would swing back to hit the bear. And what would the bear do? You’ve guessed it. The bear pushes back even harder.

This back-and-forth would go on for a while, until eventually, the log catches momentum, generating enough force to eventually kill the bear.

It’s a story that shows how destructive anger can get when we try to repay evil for evil. Not to mention, a little of life leaves our bodies every time we get upset.

It is wiser to bear a single injury in silence than to provoke a thousand by flying into a rage. —Read.go

So, Leave other people to their faults.

Especially when we have so many of our own.

As author Karen Casey points out in her short book, A Life of My Own, “We have lots more time to take care of ourselves now that we have begun letting others be in charge of themselves.”

We’re not here to judge them—only to accept them.

The polymath and writer, Wolfgang Von Goethe reminds us that, “When we treat our neighbors as they deserve to be treated, we make them even worse. But when we treat them as if they were who we wish they were, we improve them.

There’s a fascinating story about Malcolm X (then Malcolm Little) who went into prison a criminal, but left as an educated, religious, and motivated man who would help in the struggle for civil rights.

Now did he suffer an evil? Or did he choose to make his experience a positive one?

It’s really up to us.

It always has been.

An event itself is objective.

How we describe it—that it was unfair, or that they did it on purpose—well that’s on us.

Do not repay evil for evil because returning evil for evil is a descending spiral of bad karma waiting to manifest.

Civil rights leader and activist, Martin Luther King, Jr. understood this principle when stated that “The ultimate weakness of violence, is that it is a descending spiral; returning violence with violence only multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.”

So, forgive yourself for being too harsh in your judgments. Second, forgive the other person, the miscommunication, or the unfortunate event. “Realize,” as author Ryan Holiday would say, that “This is not the environment you were made for—to be provoked. And as the saying goes, “when we tend to give evil nothing to oppose, it disappears by itself.”

Now is not the time to get worked up about a given situation. 

Instead, you want to respond with kindness toward evil doers, because the opposite rarely works.

“Darkness” says MLK, “cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Following MLK’s advice can help us destroy in an evil person the pleasure he/she derives from evil. You probably heard this cliche before, but life is too short to fall in this trap. Realizing that, we’ll sways you in favor of compassion, rather than rage or other negative emotions.

“When I despair,” expressed Mahatma Gandhi, “I remember that all through history; the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it—always.” So why bother getting mad at causes and forces beyond your control?

To become a part of this nonviolent movement, do not repay evil for evil. Instead try the following suggestions:

• Catch yourself before reacting to violence of any kind with more violence. Pledge to be an instrument of peace as all our spiritual teachers have encouraged us to be.
• Work on yourself each day to bring a more peaceful stance into your life. 
• Take time to meditate, practice yoga, read, go on a walk before you respond to that nasty comment , play with children and animals, or anything that brings you joy, peace, and fulfilment.

Affirmation for the day:

I will honor everyone’s way of living today. I will meditate on my inner child’s needs today. I will be loving and attentive toward my inner child and other people.

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Photo credit: Bear Photo by Janko Ferlic

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