Understanding.
It is that door right in front of us that we seem to forget about when we are in the midst of wrestling with our feelings on a given situation.
Why do people do the things they do?
Why do they act the way they act?
Why do they make the decisions they make, or say what they say?
"Why?" This is the correct question to ask.
When we are frustrated, or when things happen to us, or when people say things to us that we do not agree with, many of us choose to succumb to our immediate feelings when events happen to us or around us.
We choose to react with our emotions instead of responding with reason.
Emotions and feelings are valid.
It Is what makes us human.
But when we don't take pause and start to ask ourselves why is it that we are choosing to respond emotionally, or with anger, or with resentment; when we don't take a step back and really think about our responses we become the monster we hate.
Oh yes, you are capable of becoming a horrible monster.
We all are.
It is the dark side of humanity that we all try to forget about because we don't want to believe that truth.
But this monster can be tamed. It can be brought under control.
When we choose to not respond with understanding, when we choose to not listen to the other side of the story, we don't grow. We don't learn. And we typically don't take the honorable path to resolution of a conflict.
Seek out understanding first.
Understand yourself.
Tame the monster.
Master this, and it will make you wise.
- Joey D