LESSON OF THE DAY 473

Ayahs of the Day:
So is one who creates like one who does not create? Will you not then take a lesson? Even if you tried to calculate the favor of God, you will never compute it. God is most forgiving, most merciful. [16: 17,18]

Hadith of the Day:
Among the well-known wisdom of the prophets is the saying, 'If you have no shame, then do as you please. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The tranquility of both worlds lies in the understanding of these two words: generosity towards friends, forbearance towards enemies. [Hafiz Shirazi]

Guidance of the Day:
Resist the urge to criticize. When we judge or criticize another person, it says nothing about that person; it merely says something about our own need to be critical.

If you attend a gathering and listen to all the criticism that is typically levied against others, and then go home and consider how much good all that criticism actually does to make our world a better place, you'll probably come up with the same answer that I do: Zero! It does no good. But that's not all. Being critical not only solves nothing; it contributes to the anger and distrust in our world. After all, none of us likes to be criticized. Our reaction to criticism is usually to become defensive and/or withdrawn.

A person who feels attacked is likely to do one of two things: he will either retreat in fear or shame, or he'll attack or lash out in anger. How many times have you criticized someone and had them respond by saying, "Thankyou so much for pointing out my flaws. I really appreciate it"? Criticism, like swearing, is actually nothing more than a bad habit. It's something we get used to doing; we are familiar with how it feels. It keeps us busy and gives us something to talk about.

If, however, you take a moment to observe how you actually feel immediately after you criticize someone, you'll notice that you will feel a little deflated and shamed, almost like you're the one who has been attacked. The reason this is true is that when we criticize, it's a statement to the world and to ourselves, "I have a need to be critical." This isn't something we are usually proud to admit. The solution is to catch yourself in the act of being critical. Notice how often you do it and how bad it makes you feel. Hopefully, more often than not, we can turn our criticism into tolerance and respect. [Don't Sweat The Small Stuff]

Food for Thought:
You can't go around being what everyone expects you to be, living your life through other people's rules and be happy and have inner peace.