People in Pain Cause Pain

I was reflecting today how some people go through life and seem to upset everyone around them, and others offend very few people.

There comes a point in your journey of spiritual growth that you need to start taking responsibility for your reactions. For example, when someone does upset or offend me it is because I allow them to.

In the early stages of my journey, I found it hard to be around anyone that was angry, because I always thought that people were angry at me. Somewhere along the line I learned to differentiate between someone who was just plain angry, and someone who was angry because of something I had done.

When other people are angry and it is nothing to do with me, I can choose not to react to their anger, but just allow them to be mad. When other people are angry because I have done something wrong in their eyes, I can apologise if I am sorry, or decide that I meant what I said or did, and that their anger is their reaction and not my issue.

It is impossible to please all the people all the time, and sometimes, just be being me (i.e. human), I will probably offend someone somehow- for driving too fast, for not driving fast enough, for making too much noise, for forgetting to collect the rubbish bins on the correct day....and so on forever. Some of these things are just what human beings do, and if that makes you seethe, I suggest you look at your own anger issues- or are you the sort of person that has to be perfect, and mistakes are not allowed? Is that what makes you angry- seeing other people being less than perfect?

Many times, I have looked beyond my pain and discomfort and seen that the offender is someone who has a real story behind their actions, and sometimes, this helps me to not take it so personally. There is and always will be a story. I am sure we have hurt a lot of people in our time, both knowingly and unconsciously.

Today I try to live by the creed "Do no harm". I am not perfect or anywhere near, but I am becoming more conscious of how the pain inside me affects others, and thus I can see how the pain in others will affect me, should I choose to let it.

Sending out love and blessings to all those in pain today.

Written by Caroline Nettle.

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