A former client with a history of settling arguments with his fists told me he nearly had a fight with two men at a convenience store.
"One of them was staring at my wife so long that I finally got in his face. He backed down. But I was ready to knock him out."
Because he’d recently got back to recovery, he wondered what else he could have done in the situation.
"Why didn't you just walk away?" I asked.
"But they were being disrespectful."
"It would have been better to ignore him and just leave the store," I told him. “His disrespect doesn’t have much to do with you. It’s not worth reacting over.”
Then I suggested he pay attention to the part of the recovery literature that says we "ceased fighting anyone or anything."
If we're to have serenity we need to avoid situations that might interfere with it. There will always be rude people, angry people, disrespectful people, aggressive drivers.
What will we achieve if we give them our peace?
"One of them was staring at my wife so long that I finally got in his face. He backed down. But I was ready to knock him out."
Because he’d recently got back to recovery, he wondered what else he could have done in the situation.
"Why didn't you just walk away?" I asked.
"But they were being disrespectful."
"It would have been better to ignore him and just leave the store," I told him. “His disrespect doesn’t have much to do with you. It’s not worth reacting over.”
Then I suggested he pay attention to the part of the recovery literature that says we "ceased fighting anyone or anything."
If we're to have serenity we need to avoid situations that might interfere with it. There will always be rude people, angry people, disrespectful people, aggressive drivers.
What will we achieve if we give them our peace?
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