Mistakes happen all the time. You often get irritated by mistakes and you want to correct them, but how many can you correct? ‘You correct others’ mistakes for two reasons. First is when someone’s mistake bothers you, and second is when you correct someone for their sake so that they can grow, not because it bothers you. Correcting mistakes in the first case, when the mistake bothers you, does not work.
To correct mistakes you need both authority and love. Authority and love seem to be contradictory but in reality they are not. Authority without love is stifling and does not work. Love without authority is shallow. You need both but they need to be in the right combination so that you can be successful in correcting others’ mistakes. This can happen if you are totally dispassionate and centered.
When you allow room for mistakes, you can be both authoritative and sweet. That is how the Divine is – the right balance of both. Krishna and Jesus had both. People in love also exercise authority with those they love. Authority and love exist in all relationships.
© The Art of Living Foundation
