Be Nice

Be nice.

Because the world desperately needs you to be.

That's my new motto by the way because I've realized that I'm sick and tired of people throwing tantrums, getting angry, and getting pissed. I'm also sick and tired of myself acting the same way.

Truth be told, the motto is quite hard to follow. Like everything else requiring self-restraint, being nice demands discipline and a state of mind similar to a Zen master's (I may be exaggerating but you get my point).

Personally, I don't believe in the beneficial effects of catharsis, when one lets go of inhibitions and does an emotional outburst in order to relieve herself or himself of "psychological tension". Yes, the one doing catharsis may feel better but, most often, the object of catharsis is another person and, if this be the case, the social cost of such an exercise multiplies exponentially. You may feel good afterwards but that's because you simply transferred your "negative energy" (if you're a psychic neo-spiritualist) to that person. This thought can be encapsulated in a quote I found in the internet: "One problem shared is another person's day ruined".

That's why I have to be nice. Don't hold grudges, conceal your anger, try to empathize instead. Smile, laugh, joke around, greet, and, in the immortalized words of Thumper in the movie Bambie: "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all".

Well said, Thumper. Well said.