Wordless Example

Alma 43:45

"Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church."

I often marvel at just how many forms the sin of pride can take.  I have recently been pondering on how I should interact with people from the stand point of who I am and what I represent, as well as the understanding that everything I do and say is an example of sorts, whether I intend for it to be or not (and this is the same for everybody).  For example, when someone does something that I find rude or untimely, should I react in such a manner that reprimands them for what they did and makes them feel bad in an effort to get them to not do it again?  Or would it be more Christ-like of me to simply wait for the interaction to end, and respond in a more light-hearted and jovial manner?  I suppose it depends on the circumstance, but what I am getting at is an issue of pride.

Who am I to be the one who "teaches" everyone how they should react and respond to everything positive and negative that comes their way?  I should simply just react the way that suits me, righteously, at that moment and let my "reacting" do the teaching, if they care to observe and learn.  I should not feel as though it is my place to tell someone how they should do things or to point out people's flaws every time I see something that seems awry.  I suppose that doing so every now and then, when it seems as though it is really important, would still be reasonable... but my first reaction to everything I see around me shouldn't be to "fix and teach," rather it should be to "love and show by wordless-example."  I think that is the key there, wordless-example.  Don't tell someone that you are teaching them, or showing them the proper way to react.  If you do something or react in a manner that catches someone by surprise, they will notice and they will remember.  If someone is around you long enough, and they see the way you act and react often enough, they will either do the same (if your reaction is the proper way to react) or they won't.

I should live my life as a "wordless example."  I like that.