Advocacies Cannot Be Dictated...they mayonly be emulated or copied
Posted on Sunday, 15 May 2016
Advocacies
Cannot Be Dictated
…they
may be only emulated or copied
By Apolinario Villalobos
The mistake of some people is that they tend
to dictate their advocacies to others, expecting friends to whom they
force-feed such to become like them in an instant. What is worse is that if
friends just shrug their shoulders or smile with sarcasm, they would feel bad. A
person who is sincere in practicing his advocacy is supposed to have only the
beneficiaries as the foremost reason for his action, aside from himself who
also desires some kind of satisfaction. He should not expect others to imitate
him. One should not feel great or “heroic” just because he has helped others. If
ever, the manifestations of his action should only serve as signals that others
would hopefully receive and will incite them to do the same.
If one’s advocacy for example is to scrimp
on many things in life, he should not expect others to do the same because they
may have a different lifestyle which makes them spend for as long their purse
can afford it. If one is fond of attending seminars to gain knowledge on
small-scale business ventures for extra income, he should not force his friends
to do the same as they may not really have the time for them, being too sickly.
If one loves plants and animals, they should just let their friends see the
resulting joy in having them, instead of giving them cuttings, seeds, pups, or
kittens….unless, of course, they would ask for them.
If one is fond of helping others, he should
not be noisy about it. If they will, however, take notice, he should not
elaborate because in all probabilities, many of them will never or refuse to understand
his objective. In the first place, the act of giving food, extra money, or
befriending the unfortunate need no elaboration why such are being done. Those
are simple acts that even a child can understand as feeding the hungry and just
being friendly. He should not also tell others to do the same, because they may
already be doing “similar” acts which are not necessarily doling out food or
money.
Compassion as an
advocacy can be expressed in so many ways, the simplest direct way being
sincerely smiling at others, not badmouthing them, understanding their
situation or indirectly, by praying for them. The act should be sincere enough
to be felt by others who perceive it…that in the long run, will hopefully
result to its being virally emulated or copied.
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