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One of the paramount reasons why people do not
Live and Grow Young is that they put in most of their time in
defending the wrong right. The moment any remark is made
bearing on something which they may not believe in or agree with,
they take exception to it and start acrid arguments to exploit
their view of the question. If anyone were to protest in a
friendly way with them for the unpleasant words which they have
allowed to flow over a trifling matter, their answer is always the
same, --it is my duty to stand up for my rights.
A great many people think that the world and
everyone they meet is conspiring to deprive them of their rights,
and, usually, in their fervid effort to protect these alleged
rights, they are perpetually in hot water and all who come in contact
with them try urbanely to keep the conversation in channels that will
not call forth the volcanic eruption of vocabulary which has grown
to be a habit. These people always think that someone is
stepping on their feet. Judging from their perpetual
peevishness you could imagine that their feet extended all over
the earth. They develop such disagreeable mental atmosphere
that even their best friends shun them. They are sacrificing
days that should be days of happiness and years of life
force, depleting their energy and reducing their life-giving
atmosphere. They are protecting the wrong right.
Homes all over the world are made veritable hells
by the husband or wife nearly all the time endeavoring to insist
upon their viewpoint, fighting for the wrong right, and leaving
the right right out of sight and unprotected. If these
people, who are always defending the wrong right, would spend
their time fighting and standing up for the right right, they
would make their home and the world an Eden.
Everyone has the right to be happy, the right to
live and grow young, the right to be successful, the right to have
a happy home; but few people fight for these rights.
To fight for the right right calls for just the opposite tactics that
are used in defending the wrong right. In fighting for the
right right, peace, long life and joy, kindness must be used to
soften harshness; life thoughts must be used to neutralize the visualization
of age; love must be used to dissolve hate; peaceful attitudes and
peaceful words must be employed to make harmony of discord.
Fire is extinguished by water, not by more fire
and if those who are angry or unhappy, would use kindness to
extinguish the outbreak of unkind words, they would be pleased and
surprised to learn that this is the most skilful method of
extinguishing the fire of discord at its inception.
Otherwise, there will be a conflagration of words and acts that
may destroy the home or business, cause days of misery and perhaps
serious illness. It is so easy to return harsher words for
harsh ones; so difficult to give the soft answer that turneth away
wrath.
It is assumed by botanists that the cactus of the
western plains which is covered by long sharp spines, originally
developed those spines to protect it from the hunger of the
cattle. These spine-covered cacti are thought to be the
descendants of cacti that formerly grew without spines and that
Nature evolved this protection to save the cacti from
extermination.
The botanical wizard, Luther Burbank, has
succeeded in producing a spineless cactus; he has removed the fear
of the cactus that caused it to assume that spines were necessary
for its protection. In our daily contact with the world, let
us strive to eliminate mental spines and burrs, disagreeable
traits of character that are the result of fighting for the wrong
right.
There are homes where the husband and wife are
cultivating and growing mental burs and spines, poisoning the
atmosphere of what might otherwise be a pleasant home until
acquaintances are almost afraid to enter for fear of encountering
a domestic explosion. The unhappy home is usually a place
where people fight for the wrong right.
Fight for the right right, and you will produce
harmony instead of discord, and many barriers to health, success,
and a long life will be removed. You will Live and Grow
Young.
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