Daily Meditation: Sunday, May 27, 2001

One often hears people say, 'Look at so-and-so'. What …

05/27/2001

One often hears people say, 'Look at so-and-so'. What conviction! How admirable to see someone who has the courage to defend and fight for his convictions!' We certainly cannot blame someone for having convictions, for no one can live without them. The tragedy, however, is that many people never ask themselves whether their convictions are based on reality, whether they should not be revised from time to time. From the point of view of wisdom, the attitude of some of those who have such strong convictions seems more like pride or stupidity, and the consequences of such an attitude can be terrible fanaticism and cruelty. You at least must stop proclaiming that you believe this or that, for what you believe will not make any difference to reality. The only thing you should be concerned about is whether your convictions make you better, stronger, more generous and more understanding of others. If they do not, you have nothing to be proud of.