Cats hate you and everyone else, a comic by Natalie Dee
We hate some persons because we do not know them; and we will not know them because we hate them.
– Charles Caleb Colton
There is so much wisdom in this quote. Not just about hate, but about any relationship where we are distant from someone else.
An encounter at a church recently highlighted how people can be blindsided by their emotions and the need for others to respond sensitively to where people are at. Why? Because his dog was dying.
There are two general patterns of response to conflict—active or passive aggression. It is always best to resolve conflict constructively, rather than destructively. However, we cannot manage ourselves effectively nor understand others well if we do not understand the basics of these two types of aggression.
The statement that one certainty in life is change may seem obvious when we say or read it, yet often we do not prepare for it when it happens to us or learn how to implement it well when it is required.
A recent situation reminded me that it is so easy to offend people by doing the right thing at the wrong time or in an insensitive way.
With an unknown and fast-changing future in front of us, it seems to be that we will better face future challenges and opportunities if we learn how to hear and encourage the diverse voices among us.
Sometimes, we can be so focussed on getting the job done, particularly if we’re concerned with doing it right, we can trample on people’s feelings.