YOUR BEST, KINDLY

A reader of “Letters to Myself” has written to me and has reminded me of this piece I wrote in my first book. It is a brief reflection on the most beautiful and important things in life, not accepting being forced. It goes like:

“The teacher said: best things in life cannot be achieved by force:

 

You can force someone to eat,

But you cannot make them feel hungry;

You may force someone to lay,

But you cannot force them to sleep;

You can force them to hear you,

But you cannot force them to listen to you;

You can bind to applaud,

But you cannot demand any excitement and enthusiasm;

You can force someone to kiss you,

But you cannot compelled them to desire you;

You can bind someone to force a smile gesture,

But you cannot force a laugh;

You can force someone to praise you,

But you cannot force arousing admiration;

You can force them to tell you a secret,

But you cannot force inspiring them any confidence;

You can force someone to serve you,

But you cannot force them to love you.

Feeling hunger, sleep, listen, get excited, want, laugh, feel admiration, feel confident and love… are actions that do not accept force, obligation.”

And yes, I feel and think it is true. When trying to force something we worsen it obviously. It loses spontaneity, naturalness, sincerity. It lacks originality and purity. Yes, that genuine, that true, what is really worth arises in the center of one to the other spontaneously.

If someone forces you to admire, fosters ignorance or contempt.

If someone forces you to kiss, leads to displeasure or disgust.

If someone forces you to relax, obviously a contradiction starts firing nerves.

And we could go on and on.

“Live and let live” reads one of my favorite sayings. If we were capable of it, without forcing anyone to anything, living and letting live, another world would be possible, a different story we may tell. The best is always presented kindly.

Kisses and hugs,

Álex