Jesus had many sayings in his day that strongly expressed his purpose and desires on Earth. A particular quote from Jesus that I favor is “Turn the Other Cheek.” From my understanding Jesus is trying to change the common peoples way of thinking, which at the time, focused more on feeding one's thirst for revenge towards others wrong doings. So as an opposition to the “An eye for an eye” way of life, Jesus purposed the “Turn the other Check” idea. In cases were one would find it tempting to return an immoral or unjust act, whether it be steeling from someone who stole from you or as said by Jesus, “…if anyone strikes you on the right cheek”, try not returning the unwelcomed favor and instead prove to that person that the spiteful act they committed upon you, in no way affected you. By allowing someone to strike your cheek and then turning and allow them to strike the other, you not only belittle their actions but in doing so you force them to look towards another way of resolving problems. Clearly force of action is the unjust way of solving a problem because it often involves the degradation of another being. Therefore, the act of turning the other cheek, forces the offender to look for another way of solving their issues, eventually influencing them to think of a more positive way of problem solving.
My mother is a great supporter of this powerful quote. As a young urban child I often found myself in fights with other kids my age because of the cruel things some would say to me. In retaliation I would often verbally and physically respond which put me in altercations that led to school suspensions. My mother would often tell me not to respond to such immature behaviors from my fellow classmates, but the natural urge within me to retaliate often overcame my abilities to ignore such. Now that I am in my second year of collage I have come to the realization that perhaps my mother was right. Over the years I have been able to gain more control of my emotions and have experienced situations in which avoiding certain incidents prevents their escalation. When a person continuously bothers you, try not paying attention, because it is the response to ignorance that fuels it. Eventually, whoever it is that is bothering you will get tiered and often goes away.
I have personally found this to be a great solution to verbal abuse. However, I cannot say the same about physical abuse. This form of abuse makes it a lot more difficult because it involves physical pain which more often than not can be quite challenging to do. Not to say that it is impossible, it just requires a higher level of mind control which unless trained for is easier said than done. Nonetheless, this is the message Jesus was trying to send. We as humans have the power to control our nature and that is what makes use a truly special species.
My mother is a great supporter of this powerful quote. As a young urban child I often found myself in fights with other kids my age because of the cruel things some would say to me. In retaliation I would often verbally and physically respond which put me in altercations that led to school suspensions. My mother would often tell me not to respond to such immature behaviors from my fellow classmates, but the natural urge within me to retaliate often overcame my abilities to ignore such. Now that I am in my second year of collage I have come to the realization that perhaps my mother was right. Over the years I have been able to gain more control of my emotions and have experienced situations in which avoiding certain incidents prevents their escalation. When a person continuously bothers you, try not paying attention, because it is the response to ignorance that fuels it. Eventually, whoever it is that is bothering you will get tiered and often goes away.
I have personally found this to be a great solution to verbal abuse. However, I cannot say the same about physical abuse. This form of abuse makes it a lot more difficult because it involves physical pain which more often than not can be quite challenging to do. Not to say that it is impossible, it just requires a higher level of mind control which unless trained for is easier said than done. Nonetheless, this is the message Jesus was trying to send. We as humans have the power to control our nature and that is what makes use a truly special species.
