Michael, I apologise to being so long in responding to your post. I somehow seem to have missed it in June. Yes, indeed we are constantly involved and influenced by what we see and hear around us by people in all walks of life, but I think that if we focus on desiring the good, on the imitation of Christ, we ultimately develop a certain detachment which allows us to be dispassionate about the rivalries and conflicts that we experience around us. By this I do not mean indifference to others, to the contrary it means genuine concern for the well being of others without being judgemental or influenced by certain behaviour.
