Win Over People with Kindness……..

I read this wonderful Old Chinese Wisdom and the saying went something like this: ‘One can win over and influence people the best with gestures of kindness and compassion.’  The title ‘Win Over People with Kindness‘ is apt for the story that unfolds below: 

‘A farmer in ancient China had a neighbor who was a hunter, and he owned these ferocious and poorly trained hunting dogs.  They usually jumped over the fence frequently and chased the farmer’s lambs away. The poor lambs were very scared of these dogs. The farmer asked his neighbor many times in a mild way to keep his dogs in check, but this fell on deaf ears.

One day the dogs again jumped the fence, attacked and severely injured several of the lambs. The farmer had enough and went to town to consult a judge who listened carefully to the story and said: “I could punish the hunter and instruct him to keep his dogs chained or lock them up.  But you would lose a friend and gain an enemy. Which would you rather have, friend or foe for a neighbor?”

The farmer replied that he preferred a friend. “Alright, I will offer you a solution that will keep your lambs safe, and also ensure that you still remain a friend of your neighbor’s.”  Having heard the judge’s solution, the farmer agreed. Once at home, the farmer immediately put the judge’s suggestions to the test.  He took three of his best lambs and presented them to his neighbor’s three small sons, who were besides themselves with joy and began to play with them.

To protect his son’s newly acquired playthings, the hunter built a strong kennel for his dogs and never left them loose. Since then, the dogs never again bothered the farmer’s lambs.  Out of gratitude for the farmer’s generosity towards his sons, the hunter often shared the game he had hunted with the farmer. The farmer reciprocated by sending the hunter the cheese he had made.  Within a short time, the neighbors became good friends.

A similar Western saying too goes like this: ‘One catches more flies with honey than with vinegar.’ Honey is so sweet that flies would definitely get attracted. In this same scenario, let us all make an effort to be more polite and loving when we speak to anyone who we meet in our journey of life and not make rude and sarcastic remarks at every opportunity we get especially with our families, friends and colleagues.  

Let us all live amicably and let the lamp of our hearts be lit with the flame of pure love, joy and peace. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Be Humble like a blade of grass, more tolerant like a tree who is always eager to serve others and show them respect and gain their friendship. By lifting others up, we too soar higher.