Conquer Your Hatred

BLOG - Grandmaster Gedo Chang

About 20 yrs ago, one of my Hapkido students named Lamona was working for a pizza shop. This is a story Lamona had told me. The pizza shop he was working for was doing ok as a business. However, somebody opened up another pizza shop a couple blocks away. Ever since then Lamona's boss (owner of the pizza shop) became upset, angry and had anxiety. He would often say "My business will go down and I might lose half my customers." He would often drive by the other pizza shop, to check how many cars were in the parking lot. He started counting the cars! He often blamed the other pizza shop owner. He was very angry and often cursed at him, in front of his employee's. Saying "I wish he would have a car accident or a fire in his shop, so he has to close down his shop." He would often murmur these kinds of negative thoughts.

This negative angry attitude naturally caused a uncomfortable atmosphere among his employee's and customers. So naturally this created the main cause his business started going down. However one day accidentally he happened to have a fire in his own kitchen of his pizza shop! Through this fire there was a lot of damage, and the cost was to much to repair. So he finally gave up his business and disappeared somewhere.

Ladies and gentleman,
Here are 2 lines. A and B. You can see which one is longer, of course line B is Is longer. I have a question! How do you make this line shorter than line A? Perhaps you can bend over line B or maybe break line B in half. Maybe just Push line B down and step on it. This is what most people would do. Like Lamona's pizza shop owner. In other words, most people wish there opponents would face difficulty and collapse. In this matter I would like to give you a simple and positive answer. Without hurting or touching line B, you can draw a longer line A ! Lamona's boss ( The pizza shop owner) felt that the other pizza shop was a competitor. Instead he should have concentrated on improving his own business, such as better food quality, and better treatment to employee's and customers. He was suppose to try to have better marketing.

Suppose you always wish to win 1st place in your school class, but you are always Second, because John in your class, he always get 1st place. In this case are you Going to hate him? Curse him and wish he would collapse or die. Do you think this is the way to possess 1st place? Don't worry about John!! You should turn off your TV, and stop computer games and chatting. Then you will have more time to study more diligently. So then you don't have to feel like you need to break line B in half, or push it on the ground and step on it. What I mean is: You should draw your line longer!!! You know Isaac Newton's 3rd law! For every action, there is a equal and opposite reaction.

I would like to introduce one simple mind principle. Like Lamona's boss, the pizza shop owner. He cussed and hated and tried to hurt the other pizza shop. This type of negative attitude will go deep into your mind. In psychology it is called unconsciousness. Our unconscious mind does not know who the negative thoughts are for! It cannot distinguish if it is for you or someone else!
So the result will arise exactly the same way Lamona's boss did!
You will reap what you sow!

You know that there is a wonderful saying in the bible: If you don't forgive others, you will not be forgiven by God!

Thank you for having listened to me,
Grand Master Gedo Chang