I just read a scripture in the New Testament about loving your enemies and I thought about the times in my life when villains have emerged. I remembered that kid in elementary school and junior high who seemed to relish the opportunity to make fun of me every time he saw me. I thought about how in the last year of Mom's life, rifts emerged between me and my brother. And right now at work I'm faced with an employee who is reeling from my having not selected him for a promotion and enmity is emerging. But really none of these are villains. In each of those cases, my reaction to avoid the unpleasant situation cased silence which allowed the perceived villainy to fester. But in the end, an open conversation and a healthy dose of humble pie usually remove the perception. This was the case with my brother. I found my error in the situation and apologized and now things are so much better. It's also the case with the guy at work. He's not the right guy for the position right now but I believe he has the potential to be so I offered my support and dedication to work with him towards that end.
So, I feel very lucky that I haven't yet encountered my villains. I'm sure they're out there and I don't look forward to the day that I find one. But all I've seen so far are people that have good hearts. Sometimes junk gets in the way of seeing those good hearts but it's comforting to me to look back on the cast of people that I've had interaction with and not see a dark, mustache-twiling, sinister figure among them.
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