Thought Overflow

Most of us are at least aware, if not outright concerned, about the kind of people we are. We strive to be good, to live up to at least our own, if not others’, expectations of a good-natured person. Every now and then, life presents us with choices that make you wonder what you should do. Often, the choice arrives in the form of a decision to make regarding action to be taken in response to something that someone else has done that might have irritated or angered you.

On the one hand, you can ignore it, or explain the situation politely to them and hope they’ll change. You don’t want to come down to their level by doing the same to them. This action may work on decent folk, and it certainly appears to make sense when you’re trying very hard to live up to your principles/ideals. It is also probably a very constructive solution. However, it often leaves you seething in rage for quite some time.

The second option is to return the favour with a very “tit for tat” attitude. Give them a taste of their own medicine. This could very possibly show them a little more clearly how irritating their actions are, and could be a much more effective way of making them realize how irritating or anger-inducing their actions were. However, the problem here is that not only are you lowering yourself to their level, but also you’re not quite trying to reach a constructive solution. This could end up making the situation worse if your opponent becomes defensive. However, in a lot of cases, it provides a degree of immediate gratification.

Now that we have examined both options, albeit at a very superficial level, I’d like to mention that I don’t think there is one right way to deal with situations. For one thing, each situation is unique and demands a unique solution. For another, it would make sense to use a little bit of both solutions. The idea is not to have to stoop to too low a level, but yet to stand up for yourself and not be trod on.

And so, dear reader, you’ve reached the end of another boring post.
Thanks for reading, and have a nice day.