My first reaction when someone treats me in a way that I consider unkind is to feel upset. It's easy to then label that person as bad/mean/toxic/whatever and just try to keep my distance. But I don't think that's always the right way to handle those situations. However, if the person is abusive or I feel unsafe then I can't have that person in my life for my own safety and happiness; but not everyone who is short tempered is a dangerous person and right now I'm trying to learn to forgive when forgiveness is not sought and to have a deeper patience. I think that most people are blind to what those around them are going through. It's so easy to see how someone acts and define them by that. It's much harder to give someone the benefit of the doubt.
When I have things going on in my personal life I don't really share them with people who aren't in my innermost circle. I'm private in many circumstances (which may make me something of a walking contradiction), but I get sad and have hard times like anyone else. I just don't usually show it, unless I'm cracking at the edges and then I can't help but do so. But different people react to life in their own way. This isn't a license to treat people poorly because I'm having a "bad" day, but it is my ongoing job to try to be kind even when others aren't.
Original image is a painting by Robert Roth, whose art I love. This one is part of a series of abstract-ish landscapes
Being a psychologist I've learned that we can't judge others even if we do know what they're going through, because each person deals differently with the situations that come up in life. If we can't help that other person we gotta be able to at least respect them.
ReplyDeleteTrue and inspiring words. I'll keep reminding myself of them!
I am aways telling my children to treat others the same way they would want others to treat them. I think this advice, along with the ones in your photo, go hand in hand.
ReplyDeleteThis quote you've shared really resonates with me. I think that it's very difficult to remember that we're not the only ones who have struggles, hardships, and conflicts in life.
ReplyDeleteThere's a book I love that talks about how to stay loving and compassionate when faced with someone's negativity or anger. It's called ANGER, WISDOM FOR COOLING THE FLAMES, and is written by Thich Nhat Hanh. It's a very powerful book, and I've learned so much about how to deal with difficult situations in a far healthier way.