How Can We Protect Ourselves From 小人 (unscrupulous people)?

While we are able to decide the friends we keep, we do not have the liberty of picking our classmates and colleagues. In the best-case scenario, we will be able to get along fairly nicely with these people. However, the opposite is also true. Some of these people we do not get along with may even turn out to be antagonistic.
In such cases, we usually refer to these individuals as “小人”, or unscrupulous people.
So, how do we protect ourselves from meeting or unintentionally triggering these unscrupulous people? Our Masters have spoken, and these are their suggestions.

1) Mind your words

Something must have happened to cause these unscrupulous people to turn their attention to you, and it can be something as simple as a passing remark. Always filter your comments before letting them out of your mouth, especially if the person you’re talking to has a track record of behaving antagonistically!

2) Do not overstep boundaries

Everyone has a limit, and it will do you well to avoid overstepping said boundary of the people around you. While they may appear to pay your actions no mind, there is a possibility that they are already holding a grudge.
Hence, never challenge the limits of others, lest they end up being a pain in your neck.

3) Always clean up after yourself

Never give others a reason to find fault with you. Sometimes, it’s not about what you did to incur the wrath of another person, but simply because the person “just doesn’t like your face”. In cases like these, always ensure that they will never have an opportunity to create trouble for you. Do your job properly and you should be fine.

4) Flourishing Prosperity

Sometimes, external intervention will be required to help resolve the issues with these unscrupulous individuals. Crafted with a unique type of agate, the arc-shaped Heavenly Eye will help to ward off misfortune and keep unscrupulous people out of your life. Carry it with you at all times to improve your overall luck and promote harmony.

At the end of the day, matters like these usually take two hands to clap. If possible, resolve your differences without blowing things up. After all, classmates and colleagues backstabbing each other will only impede the workflow and cause unnecessary problems in the long run.