Taking the High Road

When I was a kid, my mother always used to tell me to “take the high road.”

To a kid, especially a boy, that usually meant being a wimp and letting somebody get away with something. Clint Eastwood would ride into town with his cheroot and his pancho and exact his revenge on all the bad guys. I’m supposed to let them all off the hook? I never understood.

We live in a society – especially now with all the reality TV garbage – that glamorizes an eye for an eye. “Revenge is sweet,” and “payback’s a bitch!”

So what about this “high road” stuff? What is it, and why would anybody want to take it?

Somebody has done something nasty to you. You have this pit in your stomach and you can’t stop thinking about it. You’re consumed with negative feelings, anger, and even depression. You want justice.

Today’s easy way out is to lash back on social media. Bad move.

The Appreciation Marketing expert practices taking the high road. And, trust me, it takes a lot of self control.

It sounds like the sissy’s way out, but consider  that no matter how badly someone has wronged you – there’s no amount of revenge that can undo their transgressions. No good can come of your revenge. Only more hurtfulness. Sure, you may feel a sense of satisfaction, and it might even make you feel like Clint Eastwood in front of your friends, but it will always do more harm than good.

If your goal is to “feel better” or gain a personal satisfaction, then take some pride in the fact that you were big enough and strong enough to travel that “high road.” When you laugh at the bully, you disempower him (or her).

I know, your situation is different. Somebody really wronged you and you feel justified in paying them back. Well guess what? I’ve been betrayed too. I’ve been stolen from, lied to, mislead, and gossiped about too; all unjustly. Don’t think I haven’t plotted and fantasized about recompense. I’m human too!

My favorite line from my favorite movie (Casablanca) is where the sleazy local crook, played by Peter Lorre, sits down with Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and says, “You despise me, don’t you Rick?” Without hesitation, Bogey fires back, “If I ever gave you a thought, I probably would.”

Acid destroys the container in which it is stored. Victory is the supreme vengeance in life.

There’s this thing they call karma. If you react with vengeance and fury, you can bet that the same negative forces will push back against you. If you react with kindness and forgiveness, the world will sit up and take notice and karma will pay you back in kind. (Not to mention the karma that will visit the person who wronged you).

Let it go! That jerk who deserves your wrath doesn’t even exist in your world! Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive.

Which one will you be?