Published Sunday, 24 August 2014
Those who speak truth
and give gentle encouragement,
contending with no-one,
these do I call great beings.
Dhammapada v. 408
There are times when we need to be assertive. As our body’s immune system is assertive when dealing with disease. But let’s not make assertiveness our only way of being. It can appear strong and impressive, it gets results, but it has limitations. There are times when gentleness is what is called for. Gentle speech which is true and encouraging, also produces results.