Have you ever hated anyone? Well, probably you don’t really hate them. But you do get angry the moment you think of them. If you don’t get out of the anger, it may turn into bitterness(积怨).
Bitterness can come about when we can’t forgive someone who has hurt us or made us angry. Someone might say or do something that hurts us. But we keep it deep inside instead of working through the anger. Before long, a bitter feeling begins to grow. The bitterness shows when we constantly criticize the one who hurt us. We may think we are hurting that person, but we are really only hurting ourselves.
Bitterness is a harmful emotion that affects the whole body. It can lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure. Bitterness can stop us from concentrating on important things. Instead, we waste time thinking about how we have been hurt.
Finally, holding on to bitterness can hurt our relationships with friends and family members. No one enjoys being around an angry, negative person for very long.
Author Chuck Swindoll once said, “ Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it.” That means when someone hurts you, your response is more important than what happened. You can choose to let go of hurt. You can also choose to hold on to hurt, which results in bitterness.
If you see bitterness in your life, here are some ways to deal with it.
Stop making excuses for it.
You may feel you have a fight to be angry. You may even secretly enjoy making the other person look sad. But in the end, bitterness hurts you much more than the other person.
Forgive and forget it.
The best thing you can do is to forgive and forget. You probably can’t totally put the act out of your mind. But you can decide to forgive the other person. Let it go and move on. You’ll enjoy better health and peace of mind.
小题1:If we don’t release anger, _____ .
| A．We will always be criticized and hurt |
| B．We will not blame others for any reason |
| C．A bitter feeling will develop in our mind |
| D．We will not be particular about what others do |
小题2:The main idea of Paragraph 3 is _____.
| A．The relationships hurt by bitterness. |
| B．The illness caused by bitterness |
| C．The reaction of an angry person |
| D．The negative effects of bitterness |
小题3:The author advises us to do the following EXCEPT_____.
| A．to hold on to bitterness inside us |
| B．to forgive the one who hurts you |
| C．to stop making excuses for the bitterness |
| D．to forget others’ rude behavior |
小题4:By forgiving others, we are able to _____.
| A．prevent bad things from happening |
| B．be friends with the person who hurts us |
| C．forget the bitter experience completely |
| D．enjoy good health and a peaceful mind |