“Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”
We all carry resentment. We all make judgments. Recently, I’ve started to prod myself to respond with compassion instead. At first I told myself to give people the benefit of the doubt, but that isn’t quite enough. That would simply withhold judgment. I want to go one step further and engage with the person. They’ve messed up. Haven’t I messed up as well? Instead of condemning, I need to ask “How can I understand?”. Take the hate, and replace with compassion.
And if I can’t tamp down those negative feelings, I repeat that wonderful quote above about the poison. My negative feelings won’t change what they’ve done, but they will certainly affect my life.
