Men's Club

HARMONY OR ACRIMONY

 

Harmony or acrimony is a choice. Depending on the specific situation, we all will experience each emotion, several times in our lifetimes. To help us make that choice, let us examine the pros and cons of each emotion. Harmony is characterized as a balancing act, stabilizing your mood swings. If you achieve harmony in a given situation, you reach an inner peace in your endeavor. However, in many cases, harmony is difficult to achieve, when the forces of negativity dominate, and block your entrance to achieving harmony. Acrimony is a state characterized by anger, frustration, confusion, and tension.

Some good can come of acrimony, when it allows you to vent your frustrations, the expression letting off steam comes to mind. It then allows you take a step back, relax and regroup with a fresh line of thinking. The con is if you fall into a trap, and fail to escape a constant state of turmoil.

 

To help us with the decision of which emotion to achieve, let us look at the animal world. Animals   have a unique ability to repurpose. Species survival depends on their adaptability to their environment.      Animals have developed a clever way to repurpose food waste. When a bear catches a salmon, he    carries his catch from the stream to the forest floor. He strips away the fat of the salmon, and leaves the flesh for the birds and other forest creatures. When they are through feasting, the remainder of  the carcass serves as fertilizer for the plants and trees of the forest.

 

In the arena of business, agreeing on the terms of contracts and services, can be characterized by stages of complex negotiations. You may in fact experience swinging between stages of harmony or  acrimony several times during the negotiations. The key to a successful conclusion, is for each party to eventually reach a state of harmony.

 

Hashem gave us the ultimate choice and the guidance to make a decision, by placing the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. The choice was to choose life over death, and good over evil. Hashem’s preference was for us to choose life.

 

In conclusion, the choice is an easy decision. The preference would be to choose harmony, a clear

winner, and a more desirable outcome.

 

Shalom!