it's not always rainbows and butterflies.

Even a jester does not have the capacity to make every single person in the audience happy. It's in the very nature of man, and there's nothing wrong with that. Frankly, I don't think I, nor any single person on this planet, was born to please each person encountered. What a miserable life that would be!

It isn't one of life's mysteries, then, when you come across unhappy and angry people in your lifetime. This isn't new to me, but tonight is one for the books. Sometimes, I guess, my life is too quiet that it needs to be shaken up a bit. Ha!


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It's funny how so many people long for change - to be better. They chant along with the crowd, fists raised in the air, going, "We want change! Change starts from within us!" It's a familiar vision, especially since the elections have just passed. What's unfortunate is the aftermath: the leader whom you've passionately screamed for at rallies gets elected, change for the better is initiated, but change from within is stagnant. (I experience this daily; one just needs to be a driver to have a "real feel" of the "failed changes". Cars with pro-Duterte stickers, for instance, still run through red lights. And that's just the "small stuff". Wait, didn't you want something better? Real change? What happened to the dignified voices at the rallies and proud posts on Facebook?)

Anyway, this isn't about Duterte or the previous election. That's just an analogy.

So.

What happens when you implement a new rule? But, prior to such implementation, you discuss this with the people who will be directly affected and they agree wholeheartedly? (Just not with fists in the air, and no yelling, "Go! Go for it!" obviously.) The new rule is implemented, everyone follows through, all is smooth. Great, right? It should be.

Then one day someone, that same someone who has agreed to the rule, fails to comply. Everyone knows the consequence: goodbye to the supposed monetary bonus. Others who have said yes to the new rule have failed to comply at one point or another. They draw a sad face, brush it off, move on, and try again. For you, this is the normal response.

But this someone takes you by surprise. This person reacts. First, begging to be let off the hook. Second, admitting of fault. Third, attempting to blame you for said fault. Finally, answering in a sassy, with-attitude expressions.

Why, I never!


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I realize how pent-up frustrations can easily make a person lash out. Angry people let their emotions control them, and before they have come to realize it, they've already lashed out; farewell to thee, common logic. I realize, too, how incredibly easy it is to react negatively while it is extremely difficult to respond in a logical, calm and composed manner.

Surprisingly, I was able to literally keep calm. Breathe in, breathe out. Pray to God for guidance, for the Holy Spirit to cause you to respond in the right manner. I could have resorted to ugly words, but I knew that two wrongs will never make a right.

There was not much to do, really, but to respond in patience and love, and most importantly, to still have your composure intact. Letting your (negative) emotions get the best of you will only result in...even more frustration.

I wasn't angry. Maybe I was disappointed, and for sure, I was very sad. Sad because I couldn't fathom how such people still exist. Instead of being grateful for what they have, they let their love of money (?) get the best of them. A bonus is just an incentive. It's earned, like a reward. If they don't already have it in their hands, that means they never had it in the first place. There is no need to put a blame on someone else, as if it has been taken away from them.

I don't know. I guess I was really just taken aback with the reaction. It was unnecessary, it was hurtful, it was sad. I'm sorry you're frustrated, but a responsibility is a responsibility. I honestly think the root of this was pride. What sort of person feels that self-entitled, really? One filled with pride, surely. Or bitterness. I wish I knew the answer.

All I know is that integrity matters a great deal to me, which is why I have to be fair with everyone. What then, if I allow this person to be let off the hook? What does that say about my credibility as a professional, as a person, even? What then?

Anyway.

An attitude of gratitude really goes a long way. Humility also put things in the right perspective. (It's pretty bizarre how humility was one of the things discussed during our Bible study session last Saturday. Ha, faith applied! What a way to apply this, Lord.)

More than anything, I wish I could hug this person and extend grace. It truly burdens me how some people allow their joy to be stolen due to circumstances. I know I can't say for certain what the root cause is, but I wish I could help such people see that life's little stumbling blocks do not define one's being; rather, it's simply a tool to help build character. Sigh. Hugs and peace to you, fellow human.



1 Corinthians 4: 12-13
We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.


C'est la vie.
You always lose when you lose your cool.