Prodíral jsem se letištěm a zastavil jsem se koupit vodu. U lednice v obchodě se skláněl muž a nakládal do ní lahve. Natáhl jsem se přes něj a vytáhl jednu, kterou tam dal. Vzhlédl, přestal pracovat, vzal lahev z jiné police a podal mi ji se slovy: „Tahle je studená.“ Poděkoval jsem a vzal si tu, kterou mi nabídl.
Neznal mě a už mě nikdy neuvidí. Jeho prací bylo skladování, ne zákaznický servis. Byl zaneprázdněný a vypadal unaveně. Ale udělal si čas, aby si všiml, že jsem dostala teplou láhev, a zajímalo ho to natolik, že změnil směr a přinesl mi studenou. Popřál mi všechno nejlepší.
Vidím jeho přátelské oči, když to píšu teď, o týden později. Byla to jen láhev vody. Ale jeho laskavost mě hřeje a jeho dobré úmysly mě povzbuzují.
Když rozpoznáváme pozitivní úmysly druhých, cítíme se bezpečněji, máme větší podporu a jsme šťastnější. A když ostatní cítí, že chápeme jejich dobré úmysly, cítí se viděni, oceněni a mají větší sklon k tomu, aby se k vám chovali dobře.
Ale může být těžké rozpoznat dobrou vůli v druhých. Jsme zaneprázdněni, rozptýleni a ve stresu. Pozitivní cíle jsou často pohřbeny pod negativním chováním. Vrozená negativní předpojatost mozku neustále hledá špatné zprávy a špatné úmysly. Mozek také reaguje na novinky, takže má tendenci ignorovat mnoho pozitivních úmyslů, které prostupují většinou každodenního života, a zároveň občas upozorňuje na ty negativní.
Takže musíte aktivně hledat dobré úmysly. Pak je najdete všude kolem sebe – okno do hluboké dobroty v každé bytosti, bez ohledu na to, jak je zastřená.
Jak?
Věnujte chvilku tomu, abyste si uvědomili mnoho dobrých úmyslů – cílů, záměrů, přání – které máte v typickém dni.
Dobré úmysly nemusí být svaté. Chtít si vychutnat šálek kávy, sníst slušnou snídani, zamknout za sebou dveře, dostat se včas do práce, být svědomitý, cítit se bezpečně, starat se o rodinu, být slušným člověkem, vyhýbat se problémům, méně trpět, užít si něco sladkého, nehádat se, dožít se východu slunce – to všechno jsou dobré úmysly.
Většina dobrých úmyslů bude malá. Ale stále na nich záleží. Jen si představte tu katastrofu, kdybyste své dobré úmysly nahradili špatnými! Jistě, některé úmysly nejsou tak dobré, jako například touha dominovat, projevovat návykové chutě nebo vylévat negativní pocity na ostatní. Ale pro téměř každého je velká většina úmyslů dobrých. Nechte se stát pocitem, silným pocitem ve vašem těle, že jste někdo s dobrými úmysly.
Když mluvíte s přítelem/přítelkyní, všímejte si jeho/jejích pozitivních úmyslů. Jaký je to pocit, když ho/ji vidíte? Zkoušejte to pravidelně s lidmi, na kterých vám záleží. Zjistil/a jsem, že mi to pomáhá lépe porozumět ostatním a otevírá mi to srdce. V případě potřeby řekněte druhé osobě, co jste se dozvěděli; slyšet uznání něčích dobrých úmyslů může být silný zážitek.
Zkuste vidět dobré úmysly u cizích lidí, kteří jdou po ulici – nebo na letišti. Uvidíte spoustu zdvořilostí, snahy odvést dobrou práci, touhy porozumět nebo být pochopen, loajality k přátelům a dobrým věcem, fair play a laskavosti. Tato praxe mě dělá šťastnou a dává mi silnější pocit naší společné lidskosti.
Zkuste to také s lidmi, kteří jsou pro vás obtížní. Tím je neomlouvám. Ale když uprostřed špatného chování uvidíte dobré úmysly, ironicky vám to může pomoci cítit se méně ovlivňováni – méně stresováni, podrážděni nebo znepokojeni – ostatními lidmi. Můžete také požádat ostatní, aby ve vás rozpoznali dobré úmysly.
V každém z nás, včetně toho, kdo se dívá do zrcadla, je žhavý uhlík svatosti. Uznání dobrých úmyslů tento žhavý uhlík rozdmýchává, přidává do něj olej a pomáhá mu přerůst v teplý a krásný plamen.
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This is a great article and it is true that so many things we do in a day, or automatically are just to look after ourselves/others and we are all filled with good intentions/
Rabbi Moses Cordovero: "Remember all human beings always in the innocence of their infancy."
nice
article (technically)..but I surely see also the danger as pointed out by the
reply of Bei Yin. To ad also a critical but appreciating comment. It's not
entirely about the article but about it's base/ foundation. actually the first
sentence,, .'let our intentions be good.' What is good? what is intention? what
is the action (of letting be)? We write about it if intention and good are two
separate things. If there is a commonsense or common-consensus of 'good' and
the values that this contains and that intention is a thing we let
happen. Maybe it’s just me, and that is certainly the case, but I see things
this way; If one doesn’t dissociate oneself
from his or her intention and trains oneself to walk in line with this
intention we won’t have to spend energy in forging ourselves on terms like good
or intention. We wouldn’t have to spend any energy in creating world images of
good behavior and their fruits. Instead we would just create, we do every
moment. And the fact that there are billions of people around just means you
are not alone, make use of that instead of convicting it.
Thank you, Rick
Hanson for the article, Grenville Kleisser for the quote, Bei Yin for drawing
my attention to it, ‘dailygood’ for placing and distributing it on internet,
internet for the world wide context, and the world for creating this medium….special
thanks to creation (the action and the result….)
Just one
[Hide Full Comment]thing: If my intention is commonsense than what is it that makes it ‘my’
intention? If my intention is not commonsense than what is it that makes it ‘my’
intention?
Napoleon Hill wrote about how the tipping point of economic failure to economic recovery post great depression was based on the shift from a sense of service. Much like the man who handed you the cold bottle of water. It's that subtle a difference in giving consciousness that can change the world. Great post!
--- "It can be hard to recognize the goodwill in others. We’re busy and distracted and stressed. Positive aims are often buried beneath negative behaviors. The brain’s innate negativity bias is continually scanning for bad news, bad intentions. The brain also reacts to novelty, so it tends to ignore the many positive intentions that pervade most daily life while spotlighting the occasional negative ones."
[Hide Full Comment](Quote from Rick Hanson's article)
--- My comment: The obvious fact is, that we are all manipulated and programmed from a society that has its base on a materialistic world view. This was upgraded during centuries with religious and spiritual beliefs and confirmed in our times by intellectual scientific views and concepts. Lifestyle or behavior of people hardly have changed to a better one, in contrary: the ways and tricks to survive with ones established personality are developing with the same speed as the level of stress is rising up, with the result of disease and destruction on all levels of existence. It's easy to understand, that out of our misery and suffering, we are looking for a new way to survive...
--- Now you have the 'good intention' to manipulate the brain by 'seeing the good intention in others!' Do you really think that you can cover up the daily reality every body is facing, by using a 'positive scam' on oneself? Do you think this will change anything about the *cause*?
Wouldn't it be a better intention to find out about the real reason why we are not finding real satisfaction in our existence? Using another trick can't be a creative way to help in our growing process!
--- Since nearly forty years my (good) intention is to point to a way to go beyond ones limited view, but part of the condition of people is, that they cling on their state of being and only want to be confirmed in it, so not being open for any thing else. It seems that people must suffer much more, before they ask some critical questions about not only their surrounding, but also about themselves. At the moment all questions are answered by the established mindset from society, anything else is ignored and rejected. As long this behavior is not questioned, there is no way out. So what might be your *question*? That for sure I will answer, with the 'good intention' to have an exchange from that every body around can benefit...
--- What I have written here comes out of my 'best intention' to share what is the result from my life long experience and has helped me to grow beyond my limited personality, freeing myself in a creative and healthy way... Realizing something for myself, that can't be described by words, - only can be *lived* and so expressed through my *energy*! Then, when expressed in this writing, can easily be misunderstood, as it depends totally on the interpretation from the readers mindset. - But at least it might trigger some thoughts that are not just influenced by ones need for confirmation...
--- Or is this too much and so unwanted by the moderator?
--- "It can be hard to recognize the goodwill in others. We’re busy and distracted and stressed. Positive aims are often buried beneath negative behaviors. The brain’s innate negativity bias is
[Hide Full Comment]continually scanning for bad news, bad intentions. The brain also reacts to novelty, so it tends to ignore the many positive intentions that pervade most daily life while spotlighting the occasional negative ones." (Quote from Rick Hanson's article)
--- My comment: The obvious fact is, that we are all manipulated and programmed from a
society that has its base on a materialistic world view. This was upgraded during centuries with religious and spiritual beliefs and confirmed in our times by intellectual scientific views and concepts. Lifestyle or behavior of people hardly have changed to a better one, in contrary: the ways and tricks to survive with ones established personality are developing with the same speed as the level of stress is rising up, with the result of disease and destruction on all levels of existence. It's easy to understand, that out of our misery and suffering, we are looking for a new way to survive...
--- Now you have the 'good intention' to manipulate the brain by 'seeing the good intention in others!' Do you really think that you can cover up the daily reality every body is facing, by using a 'positive scam' on oneself? Do you think this will change anything about the *cause*?
Wouldn't it be a better intention to find out about the real reason why we are not finding real satisfaction in our existence? Using another trick can't be a creative way to help in our growing process!
--- Since nearly forty years my (good) intention is to point to a way to go beyond ones limited view, but part of the condition of people is, that they cling on their state of being and only want to be confirmed in it, so not being open for any thing else. It seems that people must suffer much more, before they ask some critical questions about not only their surrounding, but also about themselves. At the moment all questions are answered by the established mindset from society, anything else is ignored and rejected. As long this behavior is not questioned, there is no way out. So what might be your *question*? That for sure I will answer, with the 'good intention' to have an exchange from that every body around can benefit...
--- What I have written here comes out of my 'best intention' to share what is the result from my life long experience and has helped me to grow beyond my limited personality, freeing myself in a creative and healthy way... Realizing something for myself, that can't be described by words, - only can be *lived* and so expressed through my *energy*! Then, when expressed in this writing, can easily be misunderstood, as it depends totally on the interpretation from the readers mindset.
Thanks for the article!
Love this! Thank you.
So true, we see what we focus upon! thank you for the reminder.
The following sentence really made me think. "Just imagine the disasters if you replaced your good intentions with bad ones!" Thank you!