Weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. My question is, which is easier to do?
Weep?
Going to a party seems more pleasurable when compared to going to a funeral. Visiting a couple in a maternity ward to congratulate them on the birth of their newborn certainly feels better than visiting another who just lost their child no thanks to cancer or a road traffic accident.
Rejoice?
In a marathon, you finish second. Looking back at the months of disciplined training and preparations, are you sure you are able to look into the eyes of your opponent who just beat you and sincerely feel happy for him/her for winning the race?
I don't care. Maybe it is due to living in a big city, in a foreign land, no less, that I have become comfortable living alone. Yes, I know, no man is an island; but no man remains unaffected by his environment either. You take public transportation with hundreds of people to town where even more people are. Everywhere you go you see people, and you may need to queue up for just about anything and everything. Besides, the people we are talking about come from all over the globe. How could one possibly relate to every person he sees? Over time, you just become more and more quiet in a noisy place. And you become comfortable with being quiet. Then you may become self-sufficient. Why would you weep with those who weep? Why would you rejoice with those who rejoice?
Materialism thrives. In a society where we are constantly observing and comparing. Why would I, unaffected by my neighbour's plight, weep when my neighbour weeps? Why would I, not benefiting from my neighbour's achievement, rejoice when my neighbour rejoices? Need I give any explanation? There is no reason for one to weep when he is not hurting or losing; nor is there any sense in rejoicing in the success of another, especially success at one's loss or defeat.
At the end of the day, I believe the only way is to love your neighbour as you love yourself. Not easy, but worth the sweat. Relationships matter so much more than material gains and earthly achievements. If only we could see it.
Weep?
Going to a party seems more pleasurable when compared to going to a funeral. Visiting a couple in a maternity ward to congratulate them on the birth of their newborn certainly feels better than visiting another who just lost their child no thanks to cancer or a road traffic accident.
Rejoice?
In a marathon, you finish second. Looking back at the months of disciplined training and preparations, are you sure you are able to look into the eyes of your opponent who just beat you and sincerely feel happy for him/her for winning the race?
I don't care. Maybe it is due to living in a big city, in a foreign land, no less, that I have become comfortable living alone. Yes, I know, no man is an island; but no man remains unaffected by his environment either. You take public transportation with hundreds of people to town where even more people are. Everywhere you go you see people, and you may need to queue up for just about anything and everything. Besides, the people we are talking about come from all over the globe. How could one possibly relate to every person he sees? Over time, you just become more and more quiet in a noisy place. And you become comfortable with being quiet. Then you may become self-sufficient. Why would you weep with those who weep? Why would you rejoice with those who rejoice?
Materialism thrives. In a society where we are constantly observing and comparing. Why would I, unaffected by my neighbour's plight, weep when my neighbour weeps? Why would I, not benefiting from my neighbour's achievement, rejoice when my neighbour rejoices? Need I give any explanation? There is no reason for one to weep when he is not hurting or losing; nor is there any sense in rejoicing in the success of another, especially success at one's loss or defeat.
At the end of the day, I believe the only way is to love your neighbour as you love yourself. Not easy, but worth the sweat. Relationships matter so much more than material gains and earthly achievements. If only we could see it.
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