for a foolish pride... love is the answer

MANNY WON! 3 rounds lang. Kakabitin! CONGRATS!!!!!

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What is wrong with some people? Why do they act with their heads held up sooo high that even if you try to reach out for them they'd step on you like you are dirt?

My mom has 3 couple friends before. They go out with a lot of business people way back... you could say they have their bonding. My mom owns a service center. It's where people get the products and the services are for free, e.g. trainings, meetings and anything the distributors would suggest.

My mom discussed a couple of reasons to me as to why they would be SOOO angry and mean. But, it all got worst when mom went to India. She was invited by the country manager of DXN to speak to a training camp in India.

My mom told me, she had 9 hours to wait for a plane from Singapore to India. So, she decided to use their free e-mailing service. My mom was so ecstastic that time and decided to mail some of her friends. But, she forgot most of the mail addresses since it is back home, all she remembered was, (let's call her) "Ate L."'s email addy. (My mom does not know anything about the address book that time, she though she must memorize it.) So, she mailed her. Thinking, she is her friend after all. I mean, you can mail your friend anytime right? Do you remember at times when you are at a different place and wanting to share your happiness?

But maybe "Ate L." received it the wrong way. I don't know. Because, when my mom returned from India, they were already cold and distant. And then the rumors started.

But you see, my mom was really a good friend to them. She never said a word against them or spread rumors. When they were friends, my mom cherished their company, and my mom's friendship with them "is" genuine. Is not was.

Rumors. My mom knows how "Ate L." can talk against a person. If she hates or dislikes a person, she would badmouth them. And *gosh* you would not want to hear them. My mom heard a lot of her "bad-mouthing" acts, but she just kept silent. And my mom knows, she would be the center of all the "bad-mouthing" ideas from "Ate L.". I can say, my mom prepared herself for the worst rumor.

Rumors were spreading. Whenever my mom would hear about one, my mom would just say, "Hayaan mo na lang sila. Wala lang silang magawa." or "As long as I am not saying anything against them, it's ok." And sometimes my mom would just laugh it off.

By the way, they opened another service center. They separated from mom's. They'd try to compare the two service centers. Saying we are this and they are that. But my mom, would again say, "Hayaan mo lang."

There were a lot of rumors , it would probably take me a whole day to enumerate all of them. I'd rather not say anything about it, for it would be like putting a very bad light for them.

Anyway, this feud has been going on for years already. 2 or 3. I can't remember. I don't know how to call this kind of feud, because my mom never tried to take a hand against them. Never. She'd probably talk about what they are doing "in our home", a closet discussion. Where she lets it all out. And she would end up wondering why they are so mad, and would say, "Hayy Hayaan na lang natin."

Last week, my mom told me(she shares everything to me and even ask about my opinion) she would reach out to them. She would give 3 sets of gifts for them. And my dad cried when he learned about it. It was always in his heart to make ammends with them. He is the type of person who is peaceful. He dislikes fights/feuds.

And so, my mom asked me what we would give. I told her, a book or some audio tapes they can use for their trainings in their center. So, my mom bought it. She even wrapped it late at night.... making a letter.

My mom had it delivered by our ever dearest housemate, last Friday at their service center. Saturday morning, the gift was sent back by their janitor. Unopened. The card was untouched.

Janitor: Ipabalik daw. (*They want this returned.*)

and the Janitor went out without waiting for an answer.

Our service center is full of people, specially Saturdays. And everyone was shocked.

The people in the service center did not know about my mom giving them a gift. It was sent discretely, so that they(SAS) won't think, the giving of gift was just a show. You see, their minds are so shallow. And they act and think childishly sometimes, most often than not, all the time.

And this is one of their acts. My mom's secretary (who lives at our house also, and is very close to us) cried. She did not know about my mom giving a gift, now she knows. Everyone knows.

My mom called three of her friends, her business partners. Who knows about the on-going feud. And they all said the same advice.

If they don't want it known, they would give it discretely back at your home. Why would they return a gift at a public place? What's the purpose? Just place the gift on display, have everyone take a look at it, but dont let them touch it. They want the public to know, so be it.It will be your memory, that you tried, and yet they rejected it.

And I remember,this quote I read sometime ago:

Do not be humble to the haughty, Do not be haughty to the humble

I guess it's time. No, not to fight back. But not to be just pushed around. My mom is still trying hard to dismiss any horrible thoughts against them. And I know give her a few weeks, she will get over it.

But you see, it's not easy. It's not easy to step down and reach out to someone who gives out rumors, who in a sense hurts you all the time, and in return they'd still stick out with their foolish pride.

It hurts, and as Im writing this I'm crying. I know, I know Im being too emotional. But, it hurts. As mom was telling me the story how they rejected it. I was fighting back tears.

But I know.... the answer lies in one word. LOVE. We do not hate them, for if we hate them, we would be their prisoner. We would be fried by our own hate.

It is a choice. If we choose to live in love or live it with hate and fear.

There might be a lot of things that would give us the reason to hate them. But, we dismissed them. I always believed in unconditional love. No matter, how bad they are to us.

The Masters and greatest teachers who have walked in planet Earth, are those who discovered the secret of this world - and they refused to acknowledge it's reality.

Masters are those who have chosen only love. In every instance, in every moment, in every circumstance. Even as they are being killed, they loved their murderers. Even as they are being persecuted, they loved their oppressors.

Jesus, Buddha and many others. NO matter what religion, race, tradition, culture. It does not matter. What matters is how they lived their life. It was of LOVE and kindness. Compassion and Forgiveness. Happiness and peace. Hope and Faith.

We are called upon this world to make decisions, specially in personal relationships. On our way to mastery, - we must experience some things that would leave us with a choice.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE, that is the question.

Shakespeare was right. You have to ask this question. To be or not be who you are? Who are you? Are you of love? or are you of hate? Do you choose to live in love? or to live in fear? The answer lies within you. The answer would determine who you want to be.

And I want to be LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. It's all about LOVE.

Yes, the things that others say, think and do will sometimes hurt us - until they do not anymore. What will get us from here to there - must be admitted with TOTAL HONESTY - being willing to assert, acknowledge and declare exactly how we feel about a thing or a person.

We must say our truth, kindly and completely. Live the truth, gently, but totally and consistently. We must change our truth quickly and easily when our experience brings us to new clarity.

No one in their right mind, least of all GOD, would tell us, when we are hurt in a relationship (be it friends or loved one), to "stand aside, from it, cause it to mean nothing."

If we are now hurting, it is too late to cause it to mean nothing. Our task now is to decide what it does mean - and to demonstrate that. For in so doing, we choose and become who WE SEEK TO BE.

I guess, they don't like it when they see us so happy and full of love. After all those rumors. It gives them more reason to hurt us more.

But in the end, they cannot. Because you see.... LOVE indeed CONQUERS ALL.