The art of saying NO

One would think these were the easiest and the simplest words in English vocabulary- YES and NO. Ah! But the amount of complexity these two words carry is incredible. They have the ability to build empires, strike down nations, create history. Rifle through the pages of history and you'll easily see the important role these words played in each and every decision that was monumental. "Yes' opened doors to nuclear weapons, to the world war, to terrorism as we know it today in its frightening and myriad forms. Just as No played its role too. Today I'm exploring essentially the role this two letter word plays. 

It's amazing just how easy it is to say Yes, to knuckle down to pressure in any form, in any guise, to give in, to surrender your will. And just as hard to say No, to take a stand, to refuse to give in, to continue to oppose when your entire being screams out to simply give in and say Yes. It's hard for a teenager in a peer group to stand up and say No to drugs and alcohol; to face ridicule in the many ways only teenagers know how to mete out to the deviants from the group code and do the right thing. 

Most of our lives we try to circumvent using this word too often. Because let's face it - it carries lots of negative baggage. It is a negative word. It might mean hurting someone by your refusal. It might mean asserting yourself at the cost of someone else's ego. And more often than not it invites displeasure. Saying no to your superiors is especially hard. Saying no to a friend or a near and dear one is worse. But sometimes it's all that's standing between you and self- annihilation. Sorry to be melodramatic but sometimes saying no might just be your ticket to freedom, to self expression, to space. To breathe. Be yourself. If only it could be done without hurting or displeasing! And therein lies the art. The ability to say No without denting the ego of the recipient of that refusal. To smile and make others smile while you demarcate boundaries. Yes. It's an art that few possess. Are you among those few? Then I must say you've mastered one of the most difficult tasks known to mankind- the art of saying NO when required.