I have been thinking about how I deal with things that make me angry today and, as random as this may be, somehow this seemed relevant to my thought process. Generally speaking, when people are hateful, I try to remind myself that people are hateful because they are hurting. In daily interactions, this is usually the case and one can easily mend the tension and make things better for both parties by sincerely trying to determine what caused the hatefulness and address it it (subtly…no-one wants to be told outright that they have an outside issue and feel as if you just want to placate them).When this is the case, and a discussion about the real issues can be had, it typically results in a conclusion that is mutually beneficial. But then there are issues where the hatred is taught and isn’t even intended to be hateful…even though others are hurting as a result of it, it really doesn’t seem to come from the same hurt that most hatred stems from. My family is Catholic and they firmly believe what the Church tells them to believe. I know them pretty well and I’m quite certain that the things they say aren’t intended to be hateful (as is generally the case for us all…we just react as I mentioned before), but I also can’t see how their actions are the result of any sort of pain they are suffering. Anyway, the problem is that I have no tools at the moment to address the issues in a loving way as I see the hatred as being completely without reason and I am at a loss. Bleh…randomness at it’s best…my thought process is a mess.
cmredford 