I Really Told Him! The Impact Your Words Can Have on Someone Else.

We all know that one person. You know who I'm talking about that. The one who gets annoyed by a certain personality type, opinion, or lifestyle choice. The one who sees an action being done, and, by their own admission, can't keep their mouth shut. In telling you about their encounter, they say things along the lines of, "And I turned around and told him that I think he's an idiot, and that I couldn't disagree more, and quite frankly, he better not even think about talking to me again." It's boastful. It's shameless. It's proud.

It's unnecessary. Think about this. How morally bankrupt do you have to be to take pride in potentially hurting somebody's feelings? How empty is your compassion jar when you can smile and boast about treating another person as if they were below you? And how solipsistic must you be to think that your opinion should wash away the importance of all other opinions? It's such an awful way to waste one's life. And the funny part? If these word warriors were spoken to in the same way, many of them would be shocked, offended and horrified.

Guess what you CAN take pride in. Kindness. Hearing a differing opinion, being around an annoying person, seeing something that doesn't make sense...and dealing with it silently. It's controlled. It's respectful. And my favorite part? It's respectable. Silent observation will give you more control of your surroundings than you may realize.

During my week, I deal with a lot people who, for lack of a better term, grind my gears. I can name one or two in particular who, at times, make me wish that my ears would suddenly fall off. Yet, not a single person who annoys me knows it. By keeping that to myself, I am accomplishing two things. First, I am keeping the other person at ease. The "complaint" that I have about them may be a sensitive topic for them. There may be an unspoken, underlying issue that causes that trait in them. Second, I am keeping a good self image. I don't want to be somebody you have to tiptoe around. I don't want anybody thinking that I'm only nice to some people. I want to be seen as a good guy. And good guys don't crap on anybody.

Be kind. Be respectful. And if you aren't going to be either of these things, do me one favor; don't have kids.