Tuesday, February 19, 2008

the power of 'I'

I have come to the frightening conclusion
that I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
.....
I possess tremendous power
to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or
an instrument of inspiration;
I can humiliate or humor,
hurt or heal.
.....
In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and
a person is humanized or de-humanized.
......
If we treat people as they are,
we make them worse.
If we treat people as they ought to be,
we help them become
what they are capable of becoming.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

3 comments:

Bob said...

Love this. Thanks for sharing. It's very timely.

Mother of Invention said...

I love this too! It isn't always easy to "choose" the right response because sometimes our feelings invade the process to quickly to intercept. I usually need to re-visit.

Joy Des Jardins said...

I love this piece Lea...and so agree wholeheartedly with it. It's a very healthy reminder of the power that we all have. Thanks so much for posting it.