You Can't Afford a Negative Thought

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who insisted that to live well, one had to be positive and thankful for all of life.
One day, a traveller came to him and said, 'How can I be positive? Nothing goes right in my life! I've been badly hurt by people I trusted, and now I want revenge!'
The wise man shook his head. 'What would you do to those who have hurt you?' he asked.
'I'd tear them limb from limb ... I'd ruin their business ... I'd ...' and he broke off. 'Can you help me to get revenge?' he begged.
'Yes,' said the wise man. 'I'll certainly help you, but first you must do two things for me.'
"I will,' said the traveller.
'First,' said the wise man, 'I want you to tear a branch off that tree over there.'
The traveller readily went to the tree and twisted off a large branch. 'There you are! What's the second thing?'
The wise man smiled. 'Now put it back,' he said.
The traveller stood staring. 'I can't do that,' he said.
'No,' said the wise man. 'So remember this: it's very easy to wound and to destroy, but it is more difficult to repair the damage that has been done. Note that the tree won't hurt you back. It will go on growing and bearing fruit. It's much better to be creative than destructive -- even to people that have hurt you.'