Attitude and spirit are interconnected. We know this. Our physical health is directly proportional to our self-worth, and our obligation to set an example, not be a warning. Feel compelled to share this comment from three moths ago…
A comment from Bob Stewart July 23…
You are right, though. People assume that those with the best attitudes are the ones where their lives are “in order” without a problem against them. Instead, those are the ones who handle the same problems others have differently. The focus isn’t on the problems, but on the outcomes.
I am reminded of a pastor when I was little that spoke at our church. This elderly minister who had seen a lot in his lifetime, stated (paraphrasing), “In response to why bad things happen to good people, I believe God allows circumstances to occur to both the believer and the non-believer so the world can see the difference in their responses to the circumstances.”
Myside Bias. Confirmation Bias. “The tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses regardless of whether the information is true.”
It’s a common occurrence. People want to prove they are right, and so they tend to filter any information they see or hear. Sometimes they will totally disregard anything that is contrary to what they already believe.
How sad that this happens when we have decided we don’t like someone. We will only listen to or believe negative things about them. What if we tried to find a positive for every negative? What if we slowly started to realize that the person isn’t as bad as we chose to believe? If that person is someone we don’t personally know, if they happen to be a public figure, then what we think about them has little affect on them. WE feel the consequences of those negative emotions. As the late comic Buddy Hackett so brilliantly stated, “While you’re carrying a grudge, they’re out dancing.”