I READ from one article of Bo Sanchez entitled, "Don't Let Anger Last Too Long," about how a lot of us tend to carry things inside us for far too long. This results to bitterness and negativity because of the extra load that, in the first place, can be dumped and rid of.
In Bo's article, there were two monks who were walking in the forest when they saw a beautiful woman about to cross the river. The beautiful woman asked if they could help her cross the bridge. Without hesitation, Big Monk carried the woman in her arms, crossed the bridge and put her down on the other side.
Furious, Small Monk kept quiet for hours as they continued walking through the woods. After eight hours, when he could no longer keep to himself, he blurted out," I thought you were a holy monk? How could you have done that? You carried that woman in your arms!” The big monk said, "I carried that woman for one minute. When I put her down by the river, I left her there. You, however, have been carrying her in your mind for the past eight hours.”
Things don't always go our way. Some people have more, some have less. Some people do more, some none at all. Some get promoted, some don't. You win some, you lose some. Some decisions favor us, some don't. That's just how things work. What matters is how we take it when these things happen. It is the after that, more often than not, that defines us.
The on-going mine audit for the metallic mines all over the country will be completed before the end of the month. When the audit was announced, a lot of industry members and friends were crying "foul." This, to most, was unwelcome primarily because they felt that it was designed to suspend and stop all mining operations in the country. The fear was that the audit will not be objective and will disregard whatever "best practices" there are.
The calmer and more level-headed members saw this as an opportunity to prove that there is such a thing as responsible mining. We have always said that if you are doing things properly, if you have been doing things right and according to government prescriptions, then there is nothing to worry about.
Some, or maybe more, have been carrying the "extra load" of negativity in their minds and to this day, have not seen this as a "good thing for the industry." Weeding out the irresponsible from the truly responsible miners will result to a better image for the often criticized mining sector, one that has been hit left, right, up, down, front, back and center.
Miners should dare to be different and prove to everyone that we have a responsible mining industry. We are often misunderstood and pre-judged. Let's not carry that any longer. Although we are viewed negatively, perhaps because of the "others" who don't shape up and proceed with their illegal and sub-standard operations, let us do what we ought to do and move forward.
"Sometimes we can be like Small Monk. When we have anger in our hearts, we make it last and carry it in our hearts. Put it down. Be free." Bo Sanchez
