Leaving Wrongs Where They Are

Sydney and angelic faceSome of my friends feel pressed to right the wrongs of the world.  They are tormented by people who are disrespectful and bigoted.  They engage in personal battles to change that behavior and demand justice and spend sleepless nights and exhausting days in frustration and a feeling of powerlessness.

No conscious person likes that behavior.  But I have come to understand that we live in a world of diversity.  If everyone were respectful, how would we know what respect felt like?   If everyone were kind and generous, how would we be able to decipher grace and appreciate it?

Although I accept that people have different needs and understandings about how to treat others, I choose not to be around people whose behavior is aggressive and inconsiderate.  If I find myself unable to leave, I don’t engage in their discussions and never laugh at cruel jokes.  I try to lead the conversation to a more neutral subject.  What’s more important is that everyday I am aware of how I treat people and affect their lives.  Making people feel heard and appreciated is more important than trying to make others do it.  When I called my gardener from NY to tell him that I sold the house and wouldn’t need his services anymore, he said, “I’m sad!  You are so nice!  Can I call you sometime to say hi?”

 

 

3 Responses to “Leaving Wrongs Where They Are”

  1. Anne Sweeney

    Ellie, this is so wise, and so practical. It harkens back to some older & simpler ideals of let peace begin with me, do unto others as we would have done unto us, and so on. It is so much more effective and earth-changing to approach situations as you’ve described. Beautiful lady, you are the change. Thank you for this inspiration!

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