Evil people don’t want to change their ways. The best policy is to stay away from them. There is more goodness than evil in the world, and there are more good people than evil ones. But if you associate with skunks, you cannot smell the roses. It only seems that evil is greater than good, because evil is hard to forget. If someone hurts you deeply, you remember it. But instead of concentrating on that, you should think of all the good things about the person who has hurt you, and of all the goodness that you have in your life. Don’t take notice of the insults people give you. And never let anything bring you to a decision to fight, nor give anyone the opportunity to fight with you. If you do, you are a party to it.
Numerous are the scars I bear for doing good. And if they mattered I wouldn’t be here; I would be in the Himalayas. But such scars are worthwhile, for they help you to grow spiritually. Only those who live the life of Christ and meet his tests find him. To them Christ comes. He would never never have come to me if I had indulged in pride or anger; or if I had slapped back when others treated me injustly. People will treat you injustly- that is the way of the world. This earth is not a perfect place. Consider the mosquito. You would think it would be satisfied with drinking your blood; but no, it also injects a little poison into your system, and sometimes carries germs that cause disease and even death. Some human beings also are like that.
Extract from the book “Divine Romance” by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda.
