Get ahead of people. Do not get even with them.

My friend and I recently visited a home for abandoned children. There we spoke to a staff member, who was very affable by nature, about wanting to make a material contribution to the home. He told us that we would have to discuss that with one of their social workers who was in charge of receiving contributions. While we were waiting, a lady walked in. In a tone so arrogant that it would have made Adolph Hitler turn in his grave, she said, "Oh, you people want to make a contribution! Give me 500 kilograms of rice... I only want that now. I am not interested in taking anything else. Of course, if you people can't afford it, then give me 5 kilograms of rice... but I want rice and nothing else. I am leaving." No courtesy, no pleasantness, no smile... She just walked in, did some verbal vomiting and walked out. "She is in charge of receiving contributions!? God save the children of the home," I thought to myself. 

My friend and I did not speak for quite some time... we were still reeling from that experience of utter disrespect and disregard. Later I told my friend, "Let's give them the 500 kilograms of rice. We want to make a difference to the children, not to the lady. Let her behaviour not stand as a wall between our hearts and the children's stomachs." 

When you are recovering from an illness, doctors say, "You are responding to the medicine." If your health deteriorates, doctors say, "The medicine is reacting on you." Response is positive; reaction is negative. Let us never react to any situation in life, but instead choose our response. Let our behaviour not be instigated by forces from outside, but be born out of an internal value-based choice. Let not some man or woman in the world outside parade over our inherent goodness. 

How the world behaves is none of our business. The greatest pride is in rising in your own eyes. How much ever you are tested, wherever you go, whatever you do... live your character. Let the limitations of other people not limit us. 'Someone is wrong' isn't an excuse for us to be wrong. Wrong as a response to wrong isn't the way. Let us not trade our goodness. At every opportunity, let us get ahead of people and not get even with them.