[su_dropcap style=”flat”]W[/su_dropcap]HENEVER I AM drawn to writing another article, my mind is full of ideas. Over the last 61 years, I have experienced many things that it seems I can add to the flavor of any conversation. Along the way I have also learned many things that have helped me be a stronger person.
Forgiveness: The Attitude of Someone who is Willing to Forgive other People
At the age of 4 ½ I found myself in a Catholic Orphanage home run by Franciscan nuns. There were strict rules to be followed, and if those rules were broken, one paid the consequences. There is so much more to this event in my life, but for now it is to say, I have learned to forgive what I did not understand. I knew at an early age, through the grace of God that people in life do things out of habit, structure, rules, and lack of common sense or hatred. The things others do, we have no control over, but we do have control over ourselves.
Humility: the Quality or Condition of Being humble; Modest Opinion or Estimate of one’s own Importance, Rank, etc.
When I entered Law Enforcement, I thought to make it through the academy I had to develop a piss-off attitude if I didn’t like something. An attitude that would shield me from what I would encounter on the streets. I had been through so much in my life up to that point, I found myself very prideful, and “pride” is one of the Seven Deadly Sin’s. But through encountering the people I helped to protect and serve and realizing that so many just needed understanding, I learned humility. I shared with you in my last article “Really”, how humility played a part in my early years as a cop.
Compassions:
If Someone Shows Kindness, Caring, and a Willingness to help Others, they’re showing Compassion.
I don’t believe you can teach compassion. Compassion is something that one is born with and it may not surface right away, but it’s there. One may not think they have compassion to foster, but they do. The slightest caring or concern for someone in need is an indication you have compassion within. I recall after being on the department almost 5 years of the 20 plus, I arrived on the scene where a baby had stopped breathing. Although paramedics had been called, we were closer to the hospital than their arrival, and I made the decision to take the baby to the ER. My partner drove, and I sat in the back seat giving CPR. We arrived at the ER in seconds, they took the baby and the baby showed a heart beat. I was elated and thankful and then the bombshell. The baby’s heart stopped again; this time, no restarting of the heartbeat. I was told that the baby would have surely died if I had not made the decision to transport, as the paramedics would have arrived too late. The fact that the heartbeat was there upon arrival was a good sign. Prolonging the baby’s life for nearly an hour was not consoling to the parents. The baby was placed in a room, and because it was my call, and it was the departments protocol to remain with a (DB Dead Body) until a supervisor was on the scene, I had to sit in the room with the baby, a blanket over it and I remember looking at the little arm sticking out of the blanket placed over his little body, thinking, he will be cold; Compassion for the little life that was no more.
Individuals are set in their own way in how they view life, what they think, and how they act, their views on political issues, but I believe every person can become a stronger person. I am not sure if talking about religious beliefs is taboo in this forum of contributors, as I do read posts that quote scripture and speak of life’s virtues which are so important in the kind of world we live in today, but I will elaborate on one final thing, the Habit of the sinful Man, and we can all draw from it, that which I mention above. One of the my favorite Saints; St. Alphonsus Maria De Liguori, Bishop of St. Agatha, and Fonder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, states in his book “Preparation for Death” (which by the way, is one of the most interesting books I have ever read) One of the greatest ills which the sin of Adam brought upon us was the evil inclination to sin. Sin becomes a habit if it is not dealt with. A bad habit produces blindness. Every sin produces blindness; and as sin increases, so does the blindness increase.
This holds true for every bad habit we possess that we do not try to overcome. We fail to see the goodness that could come if we were more Compassionate, more Humble, less Prideful, and willing to Forgive the hurts that others throw upon us.
I am a firm believer based on personal experience that if one is not wrapped up in oneself and is willing to listen before speaking, focus on what is being said not attached to worldly things, then good things will happen in that persons life. Most importantly and foremost a belief in God, a higher power for things we cannot explain here on earth.
Blessed Mother Teresa had a Humility List;
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Speak as little as possible about yourselfKeep busy with your own affairs and not those of others
Avoid curiosity
Accept contempt, being forgotten and disregarded
Accept small irritations with good humor
Do not dwell on the faults of others
Accept censures even if unmerited
Give in to the will of others
Accept insults and injuries
Do not interfere in the affairs of others’
Be courteous and delicate even when provoked by others[/message][su_spacer]
The most successful man or woman one day be gone. All that they have accumulated in life does not go with them. What they do in this life to achieve success and wealth is a good thing, how much they gave of themselves and that wealth will be recorded for the next life. So if you are wealthy, give a little more and do so with humility. If you are a boss, a supervisor, be fair and kind in your judgment of those that are not quiet where you are. If you are a professional, let that professionalism shine through for not only your knowledge but how you handle people. One kind word, one small gesture, one small compliment to someone who looks up to you will go a long way.
