Awesomeness Vs. Negativity

Some people are awesome. You know them by their presence. They bring happiness wherever they go. They stand with those who do good. They promote and recognise others’ thoughts and contribution. They appreciate people. They attempt to find answers and solutions to questions and problems. Others doing better and bigger things do not threaten or make them insecure. The opposite of awesomeness in social conduct is negativity. Stay away from people who have a question for every answer; and has a problem with every solution you find.

Jesus went around doing good in every possible manner: he healed the sick, he fed the hungry. The Pharisees definitely felt threatened and insecure. They try to act out their authority (Mark 8:11-13); and asked Jesus for a heavenly sign. Jesus’ mind and ministry did not get stuck in the negativities around him. He did not get sucked into the drama the Pharisees were staging. He sighed and got on to the other shore. There he continued to do good. Jesus gives them a sigh for a sign. No amount of goodness and signs would be enough for those who are bend upon trapping others. His sigh was a sign to them. The Pharisees must have definitely understood this heavenly sign; and perhaps looked for other ways to trap him.

Negative People

Negative voices are bound to happen in our lives from outside and from within. Vincent Van Gogh was struggling with his talent and career in painting, he would often slip into negative thoughts about his possibility of succeeding. His way to silence that voice was to consciously take a canvas and paint. Even though he could not sell any painting, it is interesting to note that he continued to paint all his life. Later he said, if you hear a voice within you or without you saying that you cannot paint, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. That is what Jesus exactly did. He continued doing good.

Later we find Jesus cautioning his disciples, “keep your eyes open and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, and yeast of Herod” (Mark 8:11-21). There is nothing more dangerous than negative people around us. Better to shun the bait than to struggle in the snare, says, John Dryden, an English poet and critic. Jesus shunned bait and went on his way doing good.

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