“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you and do good to those who hate you.”

( The Holy Bible, Matthew, 5.44)

 

If we are serious on this path of devotion, we must focus on loving those who hate us and detach ourselves from our pride, which feels injured by the actions of others. This detachment will bring a positive change in our lives. There is a sweet story that illustrates why this practice is necessary. 

 

Once, a school teacher had a very important lesson to teach her class. She said to her children, “We are going to play a game! Everyone, please bring a bag tomorrow with some potatoes in it. The number of potatoes should be the same as the number of people you do not like, and each one will be named after a person you dislike.” The teacher noted the excitement in the children’s faces. This was a game they were happy to play. The next day, all the children came to class with their sacks of potatoes. Some had only one potato, while some had five or ten. The teacher then told them to carry their sacks wherever they went. Soon, the children with more potatoes began to feel tired from the weight. But after several days, when the potatoes started to rot, even those who only had one potato were disgusted by the smell. At the end of the week, the teacher asked, “How do you like the game?” “We are tired of this game,” replied the children. “These bags smell! We don't want to carry them anymore!” The teacher smiled and said, “Let me explain why we played this game. This is what happens to your heart when you carry bad feelings inside. If you couldn’t stand carrying those rotten potatoes for a week, just think what would happen if you carried these unpleasant feelings in your heart your whole life? Now do you understand why this game was important?” The children nodded their heads, “Yes we do.”

 

There are references in the scriptures that show how the great souls have practiced detachment from pride: