Unintended Messages

I've written in previous posts about eliminating negativity, as well as being positive about ourselves, and others. Being positive and grateful in our daily living, helps lead us to finding joy in living and enjoying the moments in life, as there is no tomorrow, only this moment.

These "themes" are recurring themes in my life now, and seem to commingle thoroughly. At a recent event, I attended I found great joy in so many precious moments I experienced. There were sweet moments after sweet moments. I felt like I'd experienced little slices of heaven. It proved quite jarring later when I heard someone recounting the experience to others from her perspective. The same event where I experienced such continuous joyful moments continuously unfolding, she had not only been pretty miserable. She had used every miserable moment to judge others in her circle and find them wanting and inferior to her. As I overheard her sharing her perspective, she went on and on, listing so many negatives for so many people. To add insult to injury, she maligned and judged people in a way that shocked me. As I've thought about this, I've come to realize that she had communicated a whole lot to her audience, that she probably didn't realize.

She had painted herself as someone who can only feel good about herself if she put others down. She had painted herself as someone who glories in gossiping and bad mouthing others behind their backs. She had painted herself as someone that one couldn't trust or enjoy. She also had painted herself as unwilling to to "love thy neighbor as thyself". Actually, I think the truth really is that she doesn't even like herself. She struggles to tell herself how wonderful she truly is, by making others seem like less, and making sure everyone hears those opinions.

I felt sadness and pity for her on one hand, not just anger at her maligning gossip. Would you want to communicate this to others? By our words, people know us. Our lack of charity and kindness behind the backs of others, only paints our own character as wanting. Our enjoyment of gossiping and putting down others, reveals the mentally unhealthy person beneath the words. Would you want to be communicating things kinds of messages? I wouldn't. It behooves me to challenge myself to communicate in a way that leave positive unintended messages about myself and my character.