How do you respond to someone that has been unkind, insulting, offensive and/or confrontational to you deliberately or accidentally with or without their knowledge? This question arose during a family discussion after watching episode of a “Draw In” videos (http://www.davidbowmanart.com).

Think of an unkind action or confrontation as water.  Are you unkind, unforgiving, offended, grudgeful, feel victimized, bothered, and/or angry in return? If you do, these responses will continue to slow you down like a wet, full, and saggy diaper.  You will continue to fill up your diaper with negative energy and see the world with a negative attitude. I think that a lot of us, including myself, often respond to anger or confrontation with the same emotions. It is human nature. This can occur in various settings, like work, school, online, via a text message or with family members, but especially in political situations. How much better would we all be if we responded with empathy, understanding, grace, and forgiveness? What if we let unkindness “roll of our backs” like a duck does with water.

Now, I know that letting unkindness roll of our backs seems impossible, especially in the heat of the moment and when someone has truly hurt you. I encourage you to try by gaining an understanding and perspective of the person that was unkind to you.