"Remember your time long before time reminds you. Meaning, don't waste your life on useless things before death calls you." That's what a wise man said.
My mother also often advises me when I do activities that are just a waste of time and have no benefits, such as hanging out with friends while gossiping and talking about other people's mistakes.
My mother said, "Don't waste your time, thoughts, and energy. Take care of five things before they come to you. Make the most of your youth before old age comes. Make the most of your free time before your busy time comes. Make the most of your healthy time before your sick time comes. Don't waste your wealth before your poor time comes. Don't waste your life before your death comes."
I always remember my mother's advice and I even wrote it down in my diary. I often remember this very wise advice when I want to do things that are useless or even add to life's problems.
I still remember clearly when I was still in high school. At that time, the incident happened during break time. After the bell rang, all the students came out of their respective classes with happy and cheerful faces. There were students who spent their break time eating in the school cafeteria, some spent their break time playing on the sports field, and some spent their break time sitting quietly in class while reading books and playing with gadgets.
"Didn't you know that Anita once told a story about you in front of some scouts?" Mia asked at the back of the class during break time.
"I don't know and I don't want to know." I answered briefly.
"But your good name has been tarnished by Anita. You have to defend yourself," Mia suggested.
"I don't think I need to defend myself," I said casually.
"Why? You have to defend yourself," Risa suggested.
"Why? Because I don't need to waste time and energy on things I don't need to do," I explained a little.
"But if you think about it, it's true. You don't need to defend yourself. Hasn't Anita done it more than once or twice and you're not the only victim," Mia said.
"Now you also understand what I mean by not needing to defend yourself," I said with a small smile.
"Just because she's a rich kid, Anita likes to be mean to her close friends. That's why many people are friends with her because of pressure, not because of sincerity," Risa replied.
"Never mind. There's no point in gossiping about other people. Besides, it's a bad thing. It's completely useless and doesn't provide any benefits. It's better if we talk about the new music that Coldplay just released," I said.
Anita's attitude of often badmouthing her friends and liking to cause trouble which often causes social jealousy and even conflict within the Scouts is already known by many other students and even all the teachers.
There was some truth in Risa's words at that time, maybe because Anita is a rich kid, so she can speak and act freely towards other people.
Back then, when I first defended myself because Anita made up a story that I cheated in the scout election, my mother who found out called and advised me when I got home from school.
My mother wisely advised me not to overreact when dealing with people like Anita. The important thing is that you don't feel like you've done what she said, and more importantly you're in the right position, so just let her say whatever she wants about you.
Don't waste your time and energy serving people who like to cheat. Take it easy. Truth and honesty will always win and lies will be revealed. It's better to just forgive and use your time, mind, and energy to work and do things that help you grow and develop in a better direction.
Since my mother advised me, until now I have always chosen to act normally and sometimes even not care when dealing with people who behave badly or people who act like they know. Because that's just a waste of time, mind, and energy. One way to stay sane is to act normally or not care when dealing with things that are just a waste of time and energy.
So I always tell my friends not to waste time, energy, and thoughts on people who are not good to us, just keep your distance and don't care because by prioritizing ourselves, we can maintain positive energy and improve the quality of life for the better.