Rain is not contagious. When you enter a dark and stormy social environment, don’t let the rain clouds convince you to become a rain cloud yourself. Bring some sunshine to spare.
Joy is a choice, but not everyone has learned to make that choice. Learn the choice of joy yourself so you can bring it to people who haven’t yet learned. You might even end up teaching a few people by example.
In some sense it’s better to light a lamp and keep watch, rather than hide in a corner and curse the darkness. But, the greater value is in being the source of light yourself. Don’t depend on an external light source—be that light source yourself and just stand up.
Ponder the proverb, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.” It’s truly about bringing sunshine to someone who is so angry that he wants to hurt you.
No one wakes up in the morning and randomly decides to go injure people; injured people injure people, and they do this because they are sad, angry, upset—some rain cloud looms over their lives. They feel that there is some enemy out there causing them trouble, denying them sunlight, so they will punch at anything in their way hoping to punch a hole in the rainstorm overhead. To shine the light of kindness is to give what is most needed, especially in times of anger.
The sun isn’t only about feeling good, it provides vital nutrients. Any of us can become angry and bitter when we are malnourished, you have those moments yourself. Smacking people for smacking people doesn’t remove the hunger to smack people, it only grows the hunger. Anger is toxic, but it stems from malnutrition. Once you can see lack of sunshine as a deficiency of light rather than an excess of darkness you will be able to help friends through their own times of trouble, even friends you never knew you could have.
We celebrate people who cheer us up, you know who those people are. You can be that person. It only takes the choice to be happy. When it’s raining on someone’s parade, offer aid by bringing your own sunshine.