December 11, 2023

Responding to Rudeness

“Next time, I will give him a fitting reply. Maybe I should have shouted back. And given it closure. Why am I so meek?”

Why do many of us just let it play again and again on our minds, long after the incident has occured, knowing it can affect our peace and calm?

I kept on forgiving and ignoring the misdemeanours of a so-called friend I trusted for years. It took me five years to understand that to her, our relationship was simply transactional, and riddled with her own jealousies and insecurities. Why did I expect that she will return my friendship and trust? It took me about five months to come out of the hurt and shock, I dare say I am better off now.

Ego is not our amigo! So, how about we let it go?

We tend to expect people to behave in a particular way, our way. When they don’t, we feel disturbed. Hey, we signed no contract with them!

Is that person usually talking/behaving negative or is it a one-off incident? Maybe s/he was frustrated/disturbed about something else?

Are you being overly sensitive?

Work purifies the mind. When the mind is not occupied with positive thoughts and work, negative thoughts come to the forefront.

If that person has said/done 10 good things and just one wrong thing, can we try to remember the good things instead?

Can we forgive? When we forgive, we’re ourselves the foremost benefactors.

Still not able to shake it off? Try a change in scenario, go out, talk to someone, preferably about a better topic, read a book, and if it’s time, go to bed. A good night’s sleep heals many a wound!