You should take care that no bitterness is allowed to take root and spring up in your heart. It simply causes trouble for your soul and it becomes a poison to your entire community. There is simply no justification for you to allow resentment, animosity or expressions of wickedness in any way. Your number one goal should be towards maximizing your productivity. Nothing must be allowed to get in the way of that. Whether dealing with greedy partners or an immature bunch, it makes no difference. You have to guard your heart and keep it away from “soulish poisoning”.
One important lesson I learned from several mentors over the years was to forgive people in advance. The idea is that like Jesus pointed out, it is impossible for there not to be any offences amongst people. However, one must be quick to forgive and also give allowance for each other’s shortcomings. So, we forgive people in our heart even before they offend us! No matter the offence. There is no basis for you to allow bitterness into your heart. It is counterproductive and operates as a poison. Killing all that is good, useful and beneficial, not only at the personal level, but at the community level as well.
Which brings us to “turning the other cheek”. Turning the other cheek means that you allow people to have their way. They can do whatever they want as long as you keep your peace of mind. You need to understand that the tranquility, joy and purity in your spirit is more important to you than trying to get even. This is true brokenness. In the real sense of it, if everybody enforces their rights, there will be no functional society for anyone to enjoy. If you have reservations about this, then you should grow your soul to understand the difference between bitterness, wickedness and true justice.
