This was originally posted on September 11, 2012 The original post dealt with 9/11. I’m going to reshare that, but based upon things that are going on now, I have a totally different take.

A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror. Ken Keyes Jr.

So today was an incredibly busy day, and I wasn’t going to write a blog post to go with this quote, but then, I received an email full of hate and evilness directed at a particular religious group. I realize that today is a particularly difficult day for a lot of people in the United States, and I get why. But to read the words I read, directed at an entire group of people because of the acts of a few struck a very negative chord in me. I was prepared to rant and rave – okay I did express my opinion, but I didn’t rant or rave. A few people in the email group agreed with my opinion, and a few disagreed. No big deal, that’s what this world is about, agreeing and disagreeing. As is wont to happen, the arguments grew a little bit heated and tempers flared. I was tempted to just ignore it, but then I remembered the Daily Positive Thought for today. I realized that what I experienced today on that email list was this quote exactly. Here was a person so consumed with hate, ignorance and fear that they now lived in a world of their own making; a world of hate, ignorance and fear.

There are people that I like and people that I don’t. That’s human nature, but today thanks in part to this quote and to an email from someone, I’ve learned the difference between living in a world of hate and a world of love. I’m choosing to look in to my own personal mirror and see a person who lives in a world of love.

Today this quote is talking to me in a different way.  I am watching the interactions of three people.  One of them actively dislikes another, and that feeling has now become mutual.  But I’m watching a third person mirror the attitudes of the first person, even though I think deep inside, they really don’t want to.  And the poor third person is starting to just hate the world because they are mirroring back what is shown to them on a daily basis.

Hate and grudge holding don’t get you anywhere.  It doesn’t fix anything and it doesn’t change anything.  It only hurts you, and it hurts the people around you, and eventually, you start hating the person you are, and you become filled with more anger and hurt.  It perpetuates a vicious cycle that will only cause pain in the end.  Instead of being angry and holding grudges, try and practice forgiveness, and if you can’t love them back, at least practice tolerance and acceptance.