Taking time to meditate this morning made me realise that I had been blaming others for upsetting my tranquility and inner calm. I had been having some success at keeping news and negative opinions at bay. I had not been watching news reports and was being selective about what I read. Most of my information about this pandemic was coming from my husband, virtual interaction with family members and friends around the world. Several days ago, I noticed emails being sent to me by the husband of a friend of mine. I had not been taking time to read them in their entirety as from the few sentences that my gmail notification exposed, the tone tended toward an alternative perspective about the manner in which news was being disseminated and criticism of all those in authority. Yesterday, I had reached out to him to wish him a happy birthday and shared an article which, I thought, would help him see things from another frame of reference. He responded in a manner which hurt me. I was bent upon making this all about him and his opinion. But it wasn't about him it was about me and how I needed to practice peacefulness. I was offended by his rejection of what I thought was a beautiful article written by a friend whom I respected for his extensive international contributions. My ego was bruised as I thought I was in the right. Taking offence was depriving me of any peace and it was all my own doing. I had created the conflict I perceived, by sending the article. He had simply responded along the lines of previous emails sharing the conviction of his beliefs. Had I accepted his point view and continued to read only snippets of my notifications, choosing unity over discord, I could have saved myself the hurt. Reflection and prayer this morning brought me to the realisation that cultivating and nurturing peace in my life is my work to do. I cannot place that responsibility on others or get upset when I invite them into a contentious arena. People will have their opinions to which I may choose how to respond. Getting angry, upset and offended robs me of my own peacefulness.
Well said! You found a gem!