What matters is not who we are

but what we are.

The comforts we enjoy, where we live, those we love and care about, the position we hold in our work—they all occur mainly due to our karmas from past lifetimes.

Consider the last item, one’s job. Those who are outstanding in a prestigious profession and enjoying their fame and rewards can get carried away with themselves. But fame and position are transitory, and dependent on our continued good fortune. We use up our good fortune as we personally enjoy it, but selfish acts will decimate it.

Since nothing is permanent, our status from our work is likewise transitory and thus not what should matter to us.

What should matter?

How we behave. What we are.

Our actions are important because they are not only reflections of past actions but also come about due to our current choices. Choices we are confronted with countless times a day. On how to behave or how we choose to think. Which leads to what we are today and will become tomorrow.

From Rage to Forgiveness: What Lies Between (Part Seven)

When trying to avoid our own inconvenience . . .

When unable to see a person’s reaction,

we need to be even more careful with our words.

When we’re talking with another person, we may inadvertently say something that hurts or bothers the person. Since we’re looking at him we can see his reaction and, hopefully, address any misunderstanding. This process is the nature of conversation: our speaking and then hearing another’s response as we observe his physical reactions. We continue chatting based on these verbal and physical cues.

But when we write—and especially when writing a comment online—we don’t have the advantage of seeing how others react. Fixated on driving home our point without being able to see the reader’s reaction, we don’t see the hurt expression, the flash of anger. Unable to see these reactions, we have no clue as to the damage our words are inflicting. And so we plow ahead like a runaway train.

Rather, we need to take control of the chaotic situation, and like a good engineer drive the train responsibly and arrive safely.

And be a polite driver at that.