https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftRQEhuAPVY
Today was my first day of school without Physics. I opted to drop the class at semester. The amount time and energy it would have taken to get an ‘A’ in the class far outweighed the benefits of keeping it.
Part of my motivation for dropping the class was because it had no relevance to my life, but another reason was that I had a subpar professor. He was enthusiastic, but coming straight out of college his ability to produce buy-in within his students, and his ability to articulate and present information sucked.
After dropping his class I could have easily been a dick to him, spread bogus rumors, or otherwise attempted to get revenge in return for the stressful semester I endured in his class.
Instead I wrote him a letter gently telling him his biggest flaws, and providing him with specific tips on how he can improve as a teacher. Crazy huh? He contributes zero value to our relationship, and I take time out of my already hectic schedule to provide him with coaching on how he can improve.
What’s interesting is that most people have a natural tendency to seek revenge after getting screwed over. You messed up my life? Well I’ll screw up yours! That seems to be the common attitude. What people don’t understand, however, is that pursuing revenge is counterproductive in almost every way.
There’s rarely a need to get revenge, get even, or prove a point. How would being a dick to my old physics teacher benefit me? Is it going to help propel me towards my goals? If not I simply can’t afford to delegate that time or energy.
I trust that the quality of one’s life will reflect the quality of their actions. Karma doesn’t need me as a perpetrator. The natural laws of the universe will deliver to people what they deserve.
Of course this is all very vague. Let’s talk about things that are a little more concrete and measurable.
Networking.
What if I would’ve been a dick to my teacher? Would he have felt inclined to assist me in the future? Probably not. I may not value his knowledge of Physics, but it’s impossible to know what connections he may have to other industries.
What if I later told him I was looking for ‘x’ opportunity, and discovered he could connect me to someone within that field? It’s far from being an implausible scenario, and it could never occur if I tried to “Get even.”
By acting maliciously you’re essentially guaranteeing that person will never help you in the future. In addition, they may tell others about your actions which would then set even more people against helping you.
Focus
You are the result of what you focus on. Intentionally hurting others, and pursuing revenge turns love into hate. Sympathy into anger. Positivity into negativity. None of which are qualities conductive to pursuing your own goals to the best of your ability.
Trust that your intervention is unnecessary, and that it isn’t your place to play the moral judge. See that others will live the lives they deserve regardless of the actions you take.
The only difference is that by letting go of the need to retaliate you’ll have significantly more resources, and energy available to you in pursuing your own goals.
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