Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Many of us are quick to comment on practically anything. We’ll gladly comment on someone else’s comment, their opinion, or a mistake that we perceive may have been made. We will offer our own opinion, comment on a policy or a pattern of behavior. Often we just want to get something off our chests. Sometimes when we’re mad or frustrated, we’ll blurt something. We’ll comment on the way someone looks, behaves, or seems to think. Sometimes our comments are critical in nature, other times they are complimentary or engaging.
Obviously, there are times when other people ask that we comment or share our point of view. And a great deal of the time our comments are absolutely appropriate. In fact, this is probably the case a vast majority of the time. Most of our comments are probably useful, helpful, necessary, or simply entertaining. Sometimes our input can help solve a problem, come up with a solution, a better way of doing something, or contribute in some meaningful way. Terrific. Keep commenting.
Invariably, however, some of our comments are at best unnecessary and at worst counterproductive. They arise out of habit, a knee-jerk reaction, or some unexplained need we have to comment. Some of these comments lead to arguments, hurt feelings, or confusion. These are the ones we should avoid making, if possible.
The question is, how much stress could you avoid by simply learning to bite your tongue when it’s in your best interest to do so?
This is a fairly simple idea to implement into your life. For the most part, it involves nothing more than a gentle pause before you speak - just enough time to allow your wisdom to tell you whether what you are about to say is in your best interest.
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