15 More Stories from the Oak

As Far As Possible

Day 310 – As far As Possible

“As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.”

It is an undoubted truth that without others in our lives, we feel meaningless and alone. Silence and finding ourselves is important, but reaching out and connecting with others is equally important. There is a balance of the two, and going to extremes in either is not a good thing.

How to be on good terms with all people? Surely there will be some people who you will not be able to get along with, and be unable to be around peacefully. There are a few such people in this realm who I feel this way about. I will not name them, because that is cruel. However, all these people I do not feel the slightest bit of aggression against. When they talk to me, I listen to what they have to say, and then usually come up with an excuse to avoid being in their presence longer than my continence can take it. It is a strategy; find ways to get around your differences. Never fully ignore anyone for an indefinite period of time. If you cannot stand them for one second, then avoid them until you can. Always be ready to forgive, as well. People make mistakes, but your enemies have lessons to teach and words of wisdom the same as your friends.

The first line is important to note. “As far as possible” does not mean you should force yourself into an uncomfortable or torturous place. Respect your boundaries, but push yourself to the edge time and time again, and your horizons will expand, and the box of comfort we all live in will grow larger. Perhaps one day our box of comfort will encompass everything and everyone, and there will be no where for us to go where we may feel unhappy. However, to get there, you cannot push to hard, for when pushed hard things break. Stretch, do not destroy.

People need us, just as we need them. Being on bad terms leads to a lonely life.