Sr. Lorraine discusses our human tendency to avoid people who wrong us in some way, rather than trying to find a way to see the good in them, and do good for them.
BOY does she have me pegged! And even worse, I am guilty of teaching my kids to do that too. I tell them to stay away from the kids who hit, or call names, or cheat in playground games, thinking that I am protecting my children. Of course, I want to protect my children as much as I can! I’m the mom, after all!
Am I really doing them any favors? Or am I just teaching them to take the easy way out? Am I showing them to avoid problems rather than to face them in a charitable, thoughtful way?
This job is tougher than I thought.
I think when children are young or pre-teen, avoidance is the best solution, but as they become teenagers, then the hard work does begin, because reason kicks in and the gray areas of life become more apparent. This is the time in which they must begin to practice the art of finding the good, because this is the time in which they have the capacity to stand up for what they believe in and still find room for compassion of others.
On an added note, we must still teach them to love and be kind to the mean children…they cannot do the same to the other children as has been done to them.