Insight 88: Why is a bad day sometimes a good day?

We meet all kinds of people every day and sometimes it happens to be a fruitful and enjoyable company but sometimes it can be repulsive in every way. These encounters usually leave us feeling like victims when it is unpleasant and embarrassing, especially if our demands are not yet.

I know an IJ nun who is the most good-natured and dulcet person I've ever come across and everyone take a liking to her almost instantaneously for the serene presence she brings. She told me once that an obnoxious bus driver, who almost served as the conductor, gave her a difficult time when she couldn't produce the exact amount of change he wanted. He continued to put her down and embarrassed her in front of everyone else as he rambled on. When this sister related the story to me she blushed sheepishly as though she was in the wrong. I couldn't help but get angry deep inside and ask the question 'How could anyone treat this sister so badly when she is the nicest person on earth?'

So why does that happen? Why must some people destroy your wonderful day by being nasty for no good reason? If you have read The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield talks about energy and how we try to steal it from one another when we run short of it. In the case of the nun, she is brimming with optimism and inspirations most time I've seen her. So it's not unexpected if someone is always trying to snatch her light away.

But on the other hand, if you believe in the law of attraction then why did the nun get such this mistreatment in the first place? Did she ask for it? One of the things I can conclude is perhaps she did ask for it. Asking for something is usually not direct or blatantly obvious. For example, if she tells the universe she wants to help someone relief the fear or depression in them perhaps that was what she got. Perhaps when the man shouted at her in front of everyone there was someone in the crowd who could identify with this chauvinistic behavior and was the starting point to help her make a decision in life. In fact, the ugly scene would have affected everyone in their own way and the nun actually did more good for them than anyone realized. The driver himself might have had a chance to confront his conscience after working hours as well.

Of course, no one wants a bad experience or to be disgraced in the eyes of the public but sometimes these occurrences are what we have been asking for, unconsciously. Perhaps this is what we want so that we will open our eyes and be awakened from the stupor we have been living in. To snap out of the day dreaming we have been fooling ourselves all this time. Or maybe, this is our way to contribute back to people who need a sign, an inspiration to let them know that they are not alone and that it's okay to free themselves from their own imprisonment.