I have a little cousin, about eight months old. I wanted to test her level of background knowledge: how she responds to behaviour from her environment based on what she's already observed and learnt about it. Behaviourists say that that is how young people learn. They do what they see others do, and say what they hear them say.
So every time I saw her with her mother, I waved at her, and smiled. I repeated this severally for some days. Then one day, when she saw me coming, she beamed joyfully and surged forward towards me. She wanted me to take her, and perhaps give her some more waves and smiles. And that was it! I then understood it. That is the nature of humankind in general. We respond well to people and their behaviour if they show interest in us, based on what we already know about them.
It is a beautiful experience, and wonderful too, to be able to influence the behaviour of others with one's own behaviour. Suppose I frowned and passed away every time I saw her, she'd definitely have tuned off towards me, and eventually considered me as some stranger in her home. And that is the power in being nice to others; even to our enemies.
On the surface it may seem unreal. But it is real. It really works. How many times have we frowned at those who frown when they meet us? And how many times have we smiled with only those who smile with us? Haven't we observed that because we always frown, they always frown too? Yes, they frown. But, when will we turn things around?
When will we end all the malice and hard-heartedness towards them? When will we begin to influence them positively with our behaviour to make peace? I mean that, when will we begin to smile with them even when they frown? When will we forgive them from the core of our hearts?
Smiles are highly contagious! Maybe we've tried smiling several times; they're not responding. Let's keep on doing it: there's power in that. The more we smile, the more we melt their hearts unknowingly. This year things must be different. We must make peace, and progress.
So, I begin with it. I smile at you. If you've wronged me, I forgive you. I will never frown again at you. So do it, too. Smile at me; smile at others. If I've (they've) wronged you, forgive us. Do your best never to frown at me (them) again. That is the only way peace can be restored this year. That is the only way we can make progress.
Smile More This Year...
😃
😃
--ISAAC ESSOUN
(By the grace of God)
(By the grace of God)
