Need to improve human relations

Madam,

Have you ever realised that almost everything we need or want is with other people. Life becomes easy and cheap when we get along with other human beings. When we treat the next person with respect and as if they are the most important person on earth, things happen for us. People will get out of their way and sacrifice for us, and will be willing to endanger their lives in our defence.

In order to improve our human relations, we must develop the divine quality of long-suffering. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says; “Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God.”

LONGSUFFERING

There you are. In longsuffering we literally suffer inside as we are self-restraining and kind towards him who is not doing well – he who is struggling and not acting in the approved way. He or she may be a spouse or a child. Dr Lund once said you may give birth or marry your biggest challenge in life or have them both. Under such circumstances we may have the opportunity to grow this divine attribute; and as we grow it, it helps us in all the arenas of our social lives – the workplace, home, among our friends, etc. Says James Allen; “How many people we know in life who sour their lives, and ruin all that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers, who destroy their poise of character and make bad blood? It is a question whether a great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control.” Continues Allen; “Self-control is strength; Right thought is mastery; Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, ‘Peace, be still’!”

The wise ones seem to get along with almost everyone, why? Because they are men of empathy. When a person acts unkind towards them, they say within themselves; “I wonder what’s wrong with him!” or “what makes him behave this way!” They understand that other people go through something inside which makes them act strange. When others carry barb-wired attitudes, they view that as an opportunity to help. It’s like they understand Mark S. Palmers’ words, who opined; “Those who are the hardest to love, need love the most.”

Having a good attitude (longsuffering and empathy) towards others who are unkind to us is not easy to do. It is easier said than done.

UNWILLINGNESS

Others may even say it’s impossible to do this. That’s just how deep invested we are into our egos. It’s an unwillingness to invest in such a noble course – increasing and or improving our human relations. But as man ‘develops a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect he ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene. ‘For people will always prefer to deal with a man whose demeanor is strongly equable.

Like the Psalmist, you may ask me: “What is man that thou art mindful of him?” 3VDOPV . We answer: Man is all that he is. He is an intelligence. A soul is worth worlds. There’s something divine about each person. Even in his most abject poverty, his lowest point, when he is without clothes, food and is dirty and stinking so bad, there’s divine breath in him - he is a sacred soul and eternal; he may live in a temporary body but he is beginningless and endless. He is a child of the Majesty on High.

M Nkambule