DON’T LET OTHER’S RUDENESS DICTATE YOUR BEHAVIOR

What kind of a person are we? Who determines our behavior? How do we react to the people who are rude to us? Many a time we blame the circumstances for our rude behavior and justify our reactions. Our tendency is to hurt the other person who hurt us. We should learn to control our temper and do not let any other person’s rude behavior influence us. An empathetic approach is the best way to be gentle to others.

What shall you do when a lunatic on the road call out abusive words at you – use the same language at him, avoid him or see him sympathetically? If we return in the same coin, I would suggest that you immediately go to a psychiatrist for an evaluation and further treatment, because you are as sick as him.  It is said that those who behave rudely have a reason for it – they find it as a ‘good’ way to attain something or avoid someone. As days go by, it becomes their behavior. We have to learn to overcome this (I am not saying it is easy, but practice makes a person perfect – in rudeness and gentleness!)

There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, 'Thank you, Sir.' One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behavior dictate my politeness?"