Tirade

Yesterday I had an encounter with someone who basically was off on a major tirade. The person was obviously angry, aggressive and extremely nasty towards not only me, but most people that they encountered. As this person was acting out, a couple things came to mind.

1. Their anger is not my property and doesn't belong to me. I don't have to carry it. If I choose to, it's not because of them, it would be because of me.
2. Do what I can to be helpful and possibly deescalate the situation. This might buffer this person abusing other people and just seemed like the "right" thing to do.
3. Everyone has a moment. Life is not (always) emotional ballet. There are times when things don't appear graceful but that doesn't mean that people cannot change.
4. Treat others as I would prefer to be treated.

These things came to me in an instant. Actually I didn't even have to think of them at all. It was like they just appeared from thin-air and I was able to follow them. The interesting thing that happened as I was apply these principles was that I was able to "move-on." I didn't get stuck in their mud-pit and remained effective through out my day. That was a small victory for me, because the truth is that I sometimes find it very easy to get stuck in what others are saying and doing, especially if I think that it's unfair.

To simplify all of this, I could say, "if someone is throwing a tirade, it's okay to duck."

Paradox, Humor and Change

Jaye Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO