I wanted his opinion about something that I had apprehended. When I got the chance, I said:
“Elder, observation of various incidents in my life have made me come to the following conclusion and I try to put into practice as much as I can. When someone disagrees with me, and I am convinced of the correctness of my viewpoint I say to him, “Let’s stop quarrelling and leave it to God, so that He can give us the right answer through events that follow.” When events justify my argument I don’t remind the person that I was quarrelling with about the conversation we once had, and how I was later justified. I remain silent. Usually the other person is also silent. We rarely find the courage to admit our mistakes. Yet, it is sufficient that the other person realises this internally. I am glad, because, through my silence, I let the other person feel comfortable with me. He realizes that I respect him and I am not belittling him.“
When the Elder heard that he became enthusiastic and said, “Kid, you’re a psychologist. That’s right! You shouldn’t accuse the other person because of his mistakes and you shouldn’t remind him of them. Then his own conscience puts him in the dock and condemns him. That’s the only way that the badness can be corrected. Otherwise, when you criticise him, he defends himself, justifies himself, and casts the blame onto you and others. He becomes thick- skinned and callous. Instead of being corrected, he becomes worse.”
“With Elder Porphyrios. A spiritual child remembers“
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Πληροφορίες γιὰ τοὺς τίτλους τῶν Ἐκδόσεων τοῦ Ἱεροῦ Ἡσυχαστηρίου μπορεῖτε νὰ βρεῖτε ἐδῶ