My dad once shared a story with me about walking into a room where a couple of his 'friends' were talking about him. They didn’t realize he was there, listening in. Instead of confronting them, he just shook his head, smiled, and quietly walked away. Why fight them? Gossiping is part of bad people's character, and a fight will never change that. And when one thinks about it, it's even a compliment when people gossip about you, they deem your worthy enough to be discussed.
He also told me about a friend who had spoken badly about him behind his back. That friend never knew Dad had found out, and Dad never mentioned it. He simply smiled and walked away from that friendship.
Then, there were family members who cut him out of their lives because he stood up for herself. He stopped crossing oceans for them when they wouldn’t even help him cross a bridge, as a matter of speech. (We have all seen that motivational meme on Facebook.) And once again, he smiled, shook his head, and walked away. While family ties are super important, having a toxic family will hold you back and destroy your soul.
I asked him how he could just walk away from people who had betrayed him, pretending to be friends or family. His answer stayed with me: Every time he came to a crossroad, he had to decide who would continue the journey with him and who could not come along.
Dad explained that there’s no need to be angry at those who betray you, even if they claim to be your friend or family. Just gracefully step away and continue with your plan like a map in hand towards your goals, on your route to true happiness without such people around. Their bad characteristics will inevitably catch up with them, and they'll have to endure their self-made misery without you around to help. What bad things they did to you, they will do to others, until it inevitably comes back to destroy them.
Be there for your friends, lover, and partner. But when they betray you or cheat on you, just step away. What they did will come back to them, with interest. It's like Life's Curse.
