My dad doesn’t like sport, beer or talk about politics. He keeps everything to himself. So it’s hard to understand him, know him or learn from him.
But there is one thing that stands out.
He doesn’t gossip. He doesn’t bad mouth anyone. He doesn’t say a single bad thing about anyone even if he or she has done him wrong.
At first, people may think he is easy to be bullied. He just doesn’t know how to speak up for himself. He lacks assertive skills.
These are all subjective opinions.. and perhaps borderline judgemental.
But I think my dad has just decided to take the higher road. Perhaps he has decided to embrace compassion, or forgiveness. And by not engaging in the conversation, he has demonstrated greater character and has shown his side of integrity and virtue with greater depth than any words can convey.
That is what I have learned from my dad. Silence can be powerful and sometimes the right thing to do.
Happy Father’s Day.