“let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger”

This comes from the Book of James 1:19 in the Bible, and I personally think it’s such a powerful quote to read, regardless of your religion.

I like to think that one of the reasons we practice mindfulness, is to try and better ourselves, by learning from others and reflecting on our daily mistakes. By being “quick to hear”, we acknowledge to ourselves our want to learn and listen to other people’s opinions and thoughts. I think this is not only important to strengthen our knowledge and wisdom of life, but also to humble ourselves to listen and also potentially learn from others.

The words “slow to speak” fits with the notion of humbleness, suggesting restraint from speaking until we need to do so.

The last part of the quote “slow to anger” is very important in my opinion. Anger is a natural emotion for us human beings, and we often try to justify this anger. But it isn’t the most loving of emotions, and especially in modern-day society, we need to try and protect this love for others. Love is the most powerful of things in this world, and we should try not to let anger destroy this special emotion we are blessed with.

So today let’s all try to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger” together!